Greetings to You!  "Dear William," is how an acquaintance addresses you in the letter.  As you read those words you don't think he's saying, "William, my beloved, love of my life."  He's merely an acquaintance, after all; someone you recently met.  So why would he use that kind of language?  Because that is the standard greeting in our culture.  As you read the first verse of 1 Thessalonians, you might be tempted to think that this too is just a standard greeting that Paul uses.  However, if you think that, you would be mistaken.  Paul cares deeply about the people he writes, especially the group of disciples in Thessalonica.  There's much more packed into the first words of this letter.  Find out what Paul has to say to you in these first few words.