Movies

ByHal Hammons

I have been preaching some sermons lately about the lessons we can take from the movies — combating real-world monsters, the difference between “sci” and “fi,” that sort of thing.  It’s basically a naked attempt to grab the attention of young people with a spiritual message that, in the absence of sparkly vampires and talking turtles, they might ignore.  Future sermons are likely to include lessons on the vigilante mentality (action movies), the false allure of “love at first sight” (romances), and the willingness to take a stand for principle (westerns).  Y’all come.

I make no apologies for finding different packages for the same message.  How many parables did Jesus tell about the need for the Jewish nation to repent, and the disaster that would come if it did not?  Five?  Ten?  Maybe someone unmoved by the story of a worthless fig trees might perk up at the notion of one about a spurned dinner invitation.  Throw lots of darts at the board; maybe one will stick.

Although my illustrations do not bear comparison with the Lord’s (to put it mildly), I give them for the same purpose: to make the message easier to hear and apply.  Perhaps the Lord’s stories elicited a laugh or two.  (Does anyone read Matthew 7:2 and not chuckle?)  But that was not entertainment.  That was teaching.

I would like to be known as a preacher who is easy to listen to.  But I have to be cautious about that.  Preachers whose priority is retaining their audiences invariably veer from the truth and take the crowd with them (2 Timothy 4:3-5).  I would rather be Will Kane from High Noon than “the Great and Powerful Oz.”

Similar Posts

Dumplings

ByHal Hammons

I frustrated Tracie for years over chicken and dumplings — a high-carb dish that, sadly, no longer occupies a place at the top of my requests list.  (Don’t let that deter you, ladies of the church; I will break whatever dietary rules I must at your respective houses.  It’s just the kind of guy I am.)

Tracie’s dumplings, you see, never suited. And she tried everything.

Handwriting

ByMark Watson

And I thought all the emphasis Mrs. Fritsch placed on handwriting in third grade was wasted.  Turns out, it’s important career guidance.  For instance, recently a would-be bank robber failed largely because the teller could not decipher his illegibly scrawled “This is a robbery” note.  And thus another village has occasion to give free room…

Complicated

ByHal Hammons

When a friend’s Facebook profile has “It’s complicated” in the “relationships” space, that’s bad news.  Granted, being single can be complicated.  So can being married.  But in this context, “complicated” means something that the friend in question is hesitant to try to qualify with a simple word.

Receiving honor

ByHal Hammons

When Balaam stubbornly refused to curse the people of God, Balak was furious. He was prepared to pay Balaam big money — and judging from the number of meetings Balaam took with Balak, Balaam was more than willing to accommodate him.  But, as Balaam told Balak, that’s not the way inspiration works — “Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’?” (Numbers 24:12-13).

Good

ByHal Hammons

I have given up complaining about cashiers asking me for a “good” phone number or e-mail address.  First of all, I’m flattered, but I’m happily married.  Second, even if I concede that you actually need my data, why specify that it must be “good”?  Are they the type of people who ask for information in other contexts (the club, the gym, wherever else undesirable people are making overtures)?  Anyway, the editor in my cringes when I hear that.  Unnecessary words make me sad.

That said, I encountered a barista recently who was asking for “a good name” to call out when the patron’s coffee was ready.  “A good name.”  OK, that’s a bridge too far.  I must comment on that.

Appearance

ByHal Hammons

I think I’ve finally figured out what bugs me about selfies on social media.  It’s that attention is being drawn, almost exclusively, to the outward appearance.  Sometimes it’s our accomplishments, sometime it’s our misfortune, sometimes it’s our surroundings.  But usually it’s just our looks.  A new haircut, a cute expression — worse yet, the infamous “Which do you like better?” post, which literally begs for audience participation.  All of this is a 21st Century way of saying, “Look at me!  Look at me!”