Bret Hammond

A Funeral Service for Pam Harmon by Bret Hammond

Over 300,000 people are injured with kitchen knives every year. The vast majority of injuries are caused by carelessness. The person using the knife didn't realize how sharp it was, got their fingers in the wrong place, or handled the knife wrong. And yet, kitchen knives are useful tools. What's the answer? How do we keep from hurting ourselves and others?

James has similar things about another useful tool--your tongue. "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be" (James 3:9-10). Far too often our tongues cut and damage, yet we know the potential we have to bring healing and hope with the words we use. How do we learn to use our tongue correctly?

In this message, we'll hear James' words about the power of the tongue.

"As useless as a screendoor on a submarine." What a great image! A screendoor on a submarine would not only be useless, but it would also prevent the submarine from . . . well . . . submarining!

Or, more appropriately, un-submarining.

Rich Mullins used this imagery in his song "Screen Door." It's there he sings, "Faith without works is like a song you can't sing. It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine." Rich was doing his best to put music and heart to the words of James 2:17, "Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." A screen door would be death to a sub; faith that lacks works points to the death of our faith.

In this message from James 2:14-26, I explore James' connection between faith and works and how these two work together to give life to our faith.

“Minimum daily requirements.” Those are the words I look for on the bottles of the vitamins and supplements I take every day. My doctor has convinced me that between her pills and these potions, I should remain relatively healthy. So far, so good.

“Minimum daily requirements” gives us the least amount necessary for the supplements to be effective. It’s not overdoing it; it’s not more than needed. “It ain’t much, but it’ll work.”

We almost seem to have a “minimum daily requirement” in James 2:8. It’s there that James tells us, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” I like those final words; “you are doing well.” It’s not complicated; it’s not over-the-top, it’s not asking too much. Just love your neighbor, and you’re doing well.

In this message, we’ll take a closer look at James’ “minimum daily requirement” and how we can best make sure we’re meeting it.

This past week, we had a front-row seat to the destructive power of anger. It was more than buildings and property, though; we saw anger destroy trust. We watched anger give birth to fear, division, mistrust of our leaders, and each other. That's just how powerful anger is.

But there's still so much that anger cannot do. James tells us, "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20). If you have chosen to follow Jesus and welcomed his reign into your life, you've chosen a different path than anger.

And it's a path with better promises.

What's Below the Surface; James 1:1-18 by Bret Hammond

This sermon was written for a class I took on Creative Biblical Preaching. When I originally wrote it, I had no intention of preaching it. But, I got a lot of encouragement from the professor, other students, and friends, so here it is!

We also had a lot of fun putting the video for this sermon together. You can check it out at this link: https://youtu.be/CQpxoNBcuIU

Huge thanks to Hannah Brimner for editing it together and making it look awesome!

The good news you share with others changes their world.

"God with us" doesn't begin and end with Jesus' birth. "God with us" is a gift we give to those around us when we meet them in their hurts.

At the end of Luke's Gospel, there's one more encounter, one more engagement, one more table. And we're invited to sit and eat.