Readings for Celebrating Advent

⁵ Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose^[a] is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.^{[b] 6} Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth^[c] we are absent from the Lord— ⁷ for we live^[d] by faith, not by sight. ⁸ Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away^[e] from the body and at home with the Lord.