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Advent Season · First Sunday of Advent · Year B

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Thanksgiving

November 29, 2026

The Apostle Paul at His Writing Desk, Rembrandt van Rijn
The Apostle Paul at His Writing Desk, Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1629–30Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg
The old apostle, pen in hand, has risen from his chair and leans over the books on his desk, thinking before he writes; his sword hangs on the wall behind him.I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.Rembrandt van RijnPainted in Leiden when Rembrandt was about twenty-three, in the years he kept returning to old men as Paul, Peter and the prophets.Germanisches Nationalmuseum, NurembergThe Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, the largest museum of German art and culture.Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg
Revised Common Lectionary
GospelMark 13:24-37Mk 13:24-37
Epistle1 Cor. 1:3-91 Cor 1:3-9
Old TestamentIsa. 64:1-9Is 64:1-9
PsalterPs. 80:1-7, 17-19Ps 80:1-7, 17-19

Overview & Insights

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)

If anything strikes someone who begins reading 1 Corinthians, it is how Paul packs content into every word from the outset. When we realize how well he knows the Corinthian congregation even on a personal level and recognize that this is at least his second letter to the church (5:9), it is quite remarkable that even his opening “hello” reads like a thoughtful theological reflection. Not only does he broadly follow the conventions for a traditional Greco-Roman letter opening;1he subtly introduces the major perspectives that will guide his discussion in the coming sections of the letter. Interpretive Insights 1:1 Paul . . . an apostle. Paul begins by identifying himself as “an apostle.” Unlike in his letter to the Galatians, where the reference to his apostleship is an argument for authority (Gal.

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Commentary

1 Corinthians 1:3-91 Cor 1:3-9 Working Preacher

A Luther Seminary commentary showing how Paul's thanksgiving grounds a fractured church in grace while it waits for the revealing of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:3-91 Cor 1:3-9 Center for Excellence in Preaching

A Reformed commentary drawing out the Advent note of waiting for the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 11 Cor 1 Enduring Word · David Guzik

A verse-by-verse evangelical commentary on Paul's greeting and thanksgiving to the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 1 verse by verse1 Cor 1 verse by verse Precept Austin

A deep study page compiling Greek word studies, cross-references, and many expositors on the chapter.

Classic commentaries on 1 Corinthians 1Classic commentaries on 1 Cor 1 BibleHub

A classic aggregator collecting historic verse-by-verse commentary on Paul's thanksgiving.

Background & Word Study

1 Corinthians and Work1 Cor and Work Theology of Work

A vocational reading of 1 Corinthians that connects the gifts Paul names to how the church lives and works together.

The Church Fathers

1 Corinthians 1, patristic commentary1 Cor 1, patristic commentary Catena

A verse-linked catena gathering patristic comment on Paul's opening thanksgiving.

Questions preachers ask

How does Paul open this letter?

He gives thanks that the Corinthians were enriched in Christ with every gift and speech, and that God will sustain them guiltless to the end, for he is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:4–9).

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