The Power of Hope

Have you ever thought how powerful hope can be?

On Chuck Smith's radio broadcast, "The Word for Today,” a story was told about an interesting Scientific experiment. For means of testing, a group of behavioral Scientists set out to find quantitative data on the emotion of hope and its effects on the psyche. In order to accomplish their mission, they placed a designation of wharf rats in a tank of water, and observed them to see how long they would survive before drowning (NOTE – this experiment was done many years ago, well before any popularized animal cruelty laws were established – do not try this at home!).

The average rat lasted only 17 minutes.

Even though these animals were very familiar with swimming and tides, when faced with the prospect that every possible escape from the tank was non-existent, they simply gave up and took their own lives.

Perplexed, the scientists repeated the experiment; however, this time, as it appeared the point of drowning was near, they "rescued" the rats from the tank, dried them off and returned them to their cages. Here, they fed them well, let them play for a few days, and then decided to repeat the drowning experiment.

To their astonishment, the experiment went much differently, as the average survival time for these rats increased from 17 minutes to 36 hours!

At the end of the experiment, the behavioral scientists explained that the only explanation for the phenomenon the second time around, was that the group of rats that had been saved survived much longer because of hope. In short, because they had been saved before, they had hope that allowed them to endure.

In your worship this week, think about these three concepts: faith, hope, and love. Meditate on how each one serves as a motivator to do/achieve certain things. Contemplate a life without these three things…especially hope, and what it might look like. Celebrate the joy of the Lord and speak aloud the great things he has done and continues to do for you and yours. Entreat the Lord for a blessing on this fine church and ask that we might all have the endurance of hope necessary to navigate the coming changes.


Resounding Themes:

Celebration
God’s Grace, Christ’s Peace
Faith, Hope, and Love
Endurance

Getting READY to Worship

Ready, Set, READ

1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

Ready, Set, MEDITATE

From the opening words of this letter, what parties are introduced? Why do you think there are three people mentioned as addressers rather than just Paul himself? What mouthful does Paul convey by calling them a church “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ?”

Paul finishes this introduction with a simple phrase: Grace and Peace to you. Is that just a slogan for Paul, or does it mean something much more? In Paul’s life alone, how has grace and peace played a vital role? Have you experienced grace and peace in your own life? How has it changed the way you live?

Does Paul and his trio seem to have affection or revulsion for this church? How is that evident in these few verses? Why does Paul remind them that they are constantly in his prayers? How do you react when you find out someone has been fervently prating for you?

Paul commends them for acts of faith, labors of love, and the endurance of hope? Can you think of another time when Paul uses these three concepts in a letter to a church? Which does he say is the greatest? Even so, why is hope so powerful? What had the endurance of hope given Paul the ability to do/survive? Can you think of a time in your own life when hope pulled you through or lifted you to a higher place? Explain?

Ready, Set, PRAY

God, we celebrate Your majesty this day! As the seasons change around us, are eyes bear witness to an everlasting truth…You are God alone! And just as the leaves submit to the shift of the weather, so too, our hearts bow low in full view of Your awesomeness.

Lord, we profess that our hope is in You. You grant us grace and peace beyond what we could possibly deserve, and renew us for Your work and Your purpose.

From early in the morning, until late at night, our only hope is in You.

We rest comfortably in this truth. We labor dutifully in this faith. We serve joyfully in this love. We endure any hardship because of this hope.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Ready, Set, WORSHIP!