Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Bible

Not the Light — John 1:6-8, 19-28

December 7, 2020 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

not the light

The discussion of John the Baptist as “not the light” but rather “a witness to testify to the light” is missing its context. In year C, the Gospel for the third Sunday of Advent is John 1:6-8 and 19-28, the parts of Gospel’s prologue about John the Baptist, and leaving out the parts directly about […]

Filed Under: Bible, Church Year, Monday Meditation Tagged With: John 6:1-8 19-28, John the Baptist

The Zoom Christmas Pageant!

December 3, 2020 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Zoom Christmas pageant

Okay, it’s December. It’s Advent. Christmas is coming. But it’s also a pandemic, and church is back to being online, not in person. How are we going to have a Christmas pageant? It’s time for the Zoom Christmas Pageant! The Zoom Christmas Pageant! A few years back I wrote a Christmas play. Better to say […]

Filed Under: Bible, books, Church Year, Worship Tagged With: Christmas pageant, Christmas Play, Zoom Christmas Pageant

The Wedding Banquet — Matthew 22:1-14

October 9, 2020 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

The Wedding Banquet: The Musical This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 22:1-14) is known as “the parable of the wedding banquet.” It lives in my memory, and perhaps in yours as well, in the cheerful lyrics of the Sunday School song sung by happy little Lego figures in the video below. My wife and I actually used […]

Filed Under: Bible, Monday Meditation Tagged With: 19th Sunday after Pentecost, Great Banquet, Matthew 22:1-14, Proper 23(28), RCL Year A, The Wedding Banquet

A Definition of Forgiveness — Matthew 18:21-35

September 9, 2020 by Gary Neal Hansen 3 Comments

definition of forgiveness

Sunday’s Gospel from the Revised Common Lectionary (Matthew 18:21-35) continues the same scene as last week, and leaves us with a remarkable, simple, working definition of forgiveness. If you are a regular reader of these weekly meditations, you know that I often point out places where historically we Christians have misconstrued the teachings of the […]

Filed Under: Bible, Monday Meditation Tagged With: definition of forgiveness, Matthew 18:21-35, Proper 19(24), RCL 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, RCL Year A

Church Discipline — A Meditation on Matthew 18:15-20

September 4, 2020 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

Church Discipline

This Sunday the Gospel text is Matthew 18:15-20, a classic text in discussions of church discipline, and the first of two weeks the Revised Common Lectionary will spend in Matthew 18.  Though I seem constitutionally incapable of writing a genuinely short meditation, I’ll try to confine myself to a few observations on this text, especially […]

Filed Under: Bible, Monday Meditation Tagged With: 14th Sunday after Pentecost, church discipline, Proper 18(23), RCL Year A

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Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

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