Mrs. Short said, “When we think about hoping horizontally, we hope in people or institutions, or even ourselves to accomplish great goals.” The builders of the Titanic hoped horizontally when they wanted to make lots of money and achieve fame. The passengers on the Titanic hoped horizontally when they bought tickets on the luxurious ship to impress their family and friends. The captain of the Titanic hoped horizontally when he chose this voyage to be his last before retirement. He wanted the glory of sailing this impressive ship for the first time.

The makers of the Titanic also removed many of the lifeboats from the upper deck in order to preserve the view. This decision and others would cost the lives of many people onboard. Since many people were more concerned with the prestige of sailing the Titanic instead of sailing it safely–putting their hope in the opinions of fellow human beings–they were not prepared when disaster struck.

Mrs. Short said, “We will always be let down when we put our hope in humans because they are not perfect. Yet when we place our hope vertically, in the Author of our faith, Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that our hope is secure because He is not flawed. He is perfect. He is so perfect and so powerful that He has ultimate control over the big things, and thus the little things too. The Bible tells us he clothes the flowers of the field. Jesus attends to the littlest details of our lives, and if you've ever seen someone be virtuous in the small things, you know that's someone you can trust with the big.”

All parents and grandparents are welcome to join us for opening ceremony from 8:10-8:20 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.