If you’d like to listen to this week’s message you can do so right here: Whispers of Grace - Hope (1 & 2 Thessalonians)

One of my favorite fictional universes is Star Wars. As I’ve shared before, I stand firmly on the right side of the Star Wars versus Star Trek debate. Trekkies, Trekkers, or whatever you call yourselves, you’re wrong. Star Wars, with its space wizards and laser swords, is vastly superior to the subpar Star Trek series.

The Power of Hope in Star Wars

Oddly enough, my favorite Star Wars film is Rogue One, a movie that doesn’t feature space wizards or laser swords. Instead, it’s a gritty portrayal of the early rebellion against the Empire, set just before the original Star Wars film, Episode IV: A New Hope.

In Rogue One, the lead character, Jyn Erso, delivers a powerful line: “Rebellions are built on hope.” This line resonates deeply, especially when considering the original film’s title. The concept of hope weaves its way throughout the Star Wars saga. In Episode IV, Princess Leia famously reaches out to Obi-Wan Kenobi, pleading, “Help us Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope.”

Hope: A Modern Misconception

It’s interesting how often the word “hope” appears in our culture and even in religious texts. Yet, like a line from The Princess Bride, one might say, “You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means.”

In the modern world, hope often equates to a wish. For example, I might say, “I hope the Detroit Tigers win the World Series.” This hope is based on projections and statistical analysis, but ultimately, it’s just a desire. We hope for our favorite sports teams to win championships, or for good things to happen in our daily lives. We use “hope” liberally, often meaning little more than “I wish you the best.”

The same holds true for the hope seen in Star Wars. The hope that rebellions are built on is a wish, a desire, a dream. However, this isn’t the profound meaning of hope found in Scripture.

Understanding Biblical Hope

Today, we’re exploring the concept of hope as it’s presented in the New Testament, drawing insights from Dr. N.T. Wright’s book, 15 New Testament Words of Life. We’ll focus on 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, starting from verse 13:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”

The core takeaway from this passage is profound: Christian hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is where our hope is rooted, built, and found.

Hope Beyond Wishful Thinking

For Christians, hope isn’t mere wishful thinking or an empty platitude. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians because their community had been shaken by deaths. In the early Christian community, there was a misconception that following Christ meant an easy life, free from sickness or death. However, when people in Thessalonica began to die, they sought answers from Paul.

Most people in Thessalonica were Gentiles, for whom death meant a final journey to Hades, a place with no return. Unlike Greek mythology, which sometimes depicted heroes retrieving loved ones from the underworld, their reality offered no hope of resurrection or eternal life. Death was the end.

Paul, in his letter, aims to inform them, not to sugarcoat the truth. He explains that believers who have “fallen asleep in Christ” (a gentle term for death, not a theological statement on the soul’s state) are not “dead dead” in the hopeless sense of the world. Instead, they have a hope rooted in Christ’s return and resurrection. There will come a day when Christ returns, and all who have died in Him will rise first, followed by those who are still alive. All will be caught up together with Christ forever. This is the great hope that allows believers to grieve differently, with a sense of hopeful anticipation.

The Unwavering Foundation of Hope

This hope is not a wish. As Paul writes in Romans chapter 5, verses 1-5:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Our boast is in the hope of the glory of God. Is there anything more certain than the glory of God? No. God’s glory is so overwhelming that Moses could only see His “backside.” Our hope is not wish fulfillment; it is rooted in this absolute reality.

Furthermore, Paul states that we glory in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, which builds character, and character ultimately leads to hope. This is mind-blowing because we often struggle with hope during suffering. Yet, Paul reveals that hope is a result of navigating hardships. Through trials, we are refined and transformed, emerging with a deeper understanding that our hope is in the resurrected Christ, and this hope will never put us to shame.

Hope: An Anchor, Not a Whisper

For the follower of Jesus, hope is anchored in the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection. If He rose once, He will certainly return again. Our hope is not a flimsy wish; it is a confidence, a foundation. As one writer, Matthew, aptly put it: “People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider’s webs. It’s not. Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spit out a tooth as she rises for another go.”

Hope for the Christian is neither weak nor soft because it is rooted in Jesus' conquest of death. He scorned the shame of the cross for the joy set before Him, rose again, and conquered death, evil, and the powers of this world. Because Jesus rose from the dead, our hope is absolutely assured and unwavering. It is not a wish or a dream; it is a reality.

Where Is Your Hope Built?

As you go about your week, I challenge you to reflect on your own heart and ask: What do I hope in? Is your hope firmly built on the resurrection of Christ, or is it founded on something else?

Perhaps your hope is built on your physical well-being. When sickness strikes or your body begins to decline, does your hope deteriorate? Or maybe your hope is centered on financial success. When the market dips or you face job loss, does your world feel like it’s falling apart?

For those who follow Christ, our hope is built and rooted in the sure foundation of the resurrection. This bedrock reality, the ultimate display of Christ’s love and righteousness, provides absolute confidence.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank You that our hope is not merely wishes and dreams, but that it is absolutely rooted and grounded in the resurrection of Christ—the one thing about which we can be entirely sure. We hope in Your glory. We hope for that day when Christ will return, when all things will be made new, and every tear will be wiped away. We embrace this hope not as something ephemeral or as fragile as a spider’s web, easily blown away, but as a hope built on the bedrock reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We pray this in His name. Amen.