Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

  • About
    • Speaking
    • Contact
    • Home
  • Books
    • Love Your Bible
    • Christmas Play
    • Kneeling with Giants
    • Review Crew
  • Library
    • Join
    • Login
  • Blog
  • Lenten Prayer Class log in
    • Lenten Prayer Class Info
    • Class Info: Your First Sermon
      • Your 1st Sermon — Course Login
    • “Pray Like a Reformer” Class Info
      • Pray Like a Reformer Login
    • Advent Lectio Divina Class Info!
      • Lectio Divina Class Log In
  • Christmas Play
  • Love Your Bible
  • Kneeling with Giants

Vaccinated!

April 29, 2021 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

vaccinated

Getting my 2nd Moderna vaccine!

Vaccinated!

I didn’t get much writing done this week. Though I did get vaccinated!

No blog posts — though I did write on this week’s Gospel three years ago. You can see it by clicking here.

I may still get a post up. But it’s Thursday night and I have that vaguely hit-by-a-truck feeling.

No complaints. It’s the last (hopefully) residual after-effect of getting vaccinated.

Saturday I was pretty much down for the count. Not as bad as the flu. More like a really very bad cold without the sniffles. Each day it is better. The last couple days I’ve felt like I was quite over it until around dinner time. Then I feel pretty wiped.

A Good Trade

It’s a trade-off. I’ll admit, it was a little strange getting a shot that I thought would likely make me feel pretty crummy for a few days. I knew several who had the Moderna and felt some days of significant after-effects.

But there is a very clear trade-off.

  • Moderna vaccine: At least one day, but probably less than a week, feeling rotten.
  • COVID-19: Significant chance of a lonely, miserable death in the ICU.

The vaccine wins, hands down.

An Intelligent choice

I don’t know if you are already vaccinated, or holding back with doubts of one kind or another. If you are someone who likes to read what I write, who trusts my voice in any small way, then let me just say it: Get vaccinated.

The best scientists in the world teamed up to get us working vaccines in one heck of a hurry. Still, they tested using solid scientific models with tens of thousands of volunteers.

Scientists trained to evaluate risks with the utmost care found that the vaccines work and that they are safe.

There’s no plot here — unless you think of bringing great minds and huge resources together to save human lives can be called a plot.

Getting vaccinated is the smart thing to do. You’ll likely live longer. Choosing life is honoring the God who gave you that life.

If you love God and value lives made in God’s image, save one. Yours. Get vaccinated.

An Act of Love

If you still have lingering doubts, and you are a Christian, remember that Jesus said that loving your neighbor was right up there beside loving God.

Get vaccinated as a way of loving your neighbor.

The vaccine is not going to kill you. You might feel bad for a day or a week, But you will stand far less chance of infecting other people if you are immune due to vaccination.

Jesus said it quite nicely:

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 13:15 NRSV

Paraphrase:

Greater love hath no one than to roll up their sleeve, take the jab, and persevere through the side effects — so that you don’t infect and kill some elderly relative or some friend with a compromised immune system.

Seriously, O Christian. Love your neighbor. Get vaccinated.

(I usually get a lot more readers than commenters. If you’ve been vaccinated, let me know below!)

++++++++++++

Would you do me a favor? Click on one of the sharing buttons below so your friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest can enjoy this meditation. Thanks!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: COVID, Vaccinated

Hungry for a way to go deeper with God?

A richer engagement with Scripture helps you as a Christian. It also helps you as you relate to grown ups and kids in ministry.

Subscribe to my (almost) weekly newsletter and I'll send you a free ebook copy of Love Your Bible: Finding Your Way to the Presence of God with a 12th Century Monk.

Comments

  1. Jennifer Pattee says

    May 15, 2021 at 12:09 PM

    I’m vaccinated and with my new increased immunity I did some work at a coffee shop for the first time in quite awhile. What a blessing!

    Reply
    • Gary Neal Hansen says

      May 15, 2021 at 12:44 PM

      Hooray! So glad for you.

      And thank you for loving your neighbor in this important and tangible way.

      I’m still looking forward to my own first coffee shop work time. It’s one of the things I’ve really missed this past year.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AWESOME children’s sermons? Absolutely! Here’s how.

I'd love to send you my free Children's Sermon Cheat Sheet! You'll learn eight solid strategies to engage with kids on the Gospel.

Subscribe and I'll send it to you -- plus all my new children's sermons will come to you in my almost-weekly newsletter.

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…

Recent Posts

  • A Children’s Sermon on Luke 10:38-42 — Mary and Martha
  • A Children’s Sermon on Luke 10:25-37 — The Good Samaritan
  • A Children’s Sermon on Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 — The Second Mission Trip
  • A Children’s Sermon on John 14:23-29 — Four Gifts
  • A Children’s Sermon on John 13:31-35 — A New Commandment

Search the site

Need a new way to engage with the Bible?

Subscribe to my newsletter and I'll send you a free ebook copy of Love Your Bible: Finding Your Way to the Presence of God with a 12th Century Monk. It's a modern introduction to a classic spiritual discipline that brings prayer and Bible study together.

It's manageable. It's fun. And it's free, along with my (almost)weekly newsletter that brings you every new article and announcement.

Archives

Let’s connect on social media…

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Search the site

  • Community for Mission
  • Letters to a Young Pastor
  • Christianity as a Second Language
  • Role Models for Discipleship

© 2025 garynealhansen.com · Rainmaker Platform