Readings for Celebrating Advent

⁵ Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who ^(A)gave to us the Spirit as a ^[a]pledge.

⁶ Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that ^(B)while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— ⁷ for ^(C)we walk by faith, not by ^[b]sight— ⁸ we are of good courage, I say, and ^(D)prefer rather to be absent from the body and ^(E)to be at home with the Lord.