Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

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You are here: Home / Archives for Worship

First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 3): Eyes vs Ears

May 5, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

eyes vs ears

Step into the Nave Then you walk into the main worship space. Look around. You will see icons. Lots and lots of icons. You will have come into the “nave,” the place where the congregation gathers, through a door on the West wall. Ahead of you, toward the East you will see a wall, or […]

Filed Under: Community, Worship Tagged With: Eyes vs Ears, Iconograph, Icons

Letters to a Young Pastor: The Children’s Sermon — One Salient Point

May 3, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

one salient point

Dear ______: I hear your objection to preaching a children’s sermon that is rooted in the main text you are preaching to the grown-ups. But I don’t think it is really a problem. Yes, some parts of Scripture are kind of “R-rated” or at least “PG-13.” But how often (really, let’s be honest here) do […]

Filed Under: Bible, Ministry, Worship Tagged With: Children's Sermons, One Salient Point, When Scripture is PG-13

Letters to a Young Pastor: The Children’s Sermon — Preaching on Other Topics

April 26, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

preaching on other topics

Dear ______: Yes, you are right, of course. I too have heard some really good children’s sermons that are on topics other than the biblical text behind the grown-ups sermon. I’ve even preached some. Good Practice, Not Unbendable Law When I said that the biblical text of the morning should be the topic of your […]

Filed Under: Church Year, Ministry, Worship Tagged With: Children's Sermons, Choosing your topic, Letters to a Young Pastor

First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 2): Passageway vs Preparation

April 24, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 4 Comments

Passageway vs Preparation

Last week I started writing about how to have a really excellent first visit to an Orthodox church. I think you need to be aware of several differences — just six or so — between the Christian East and the Christian West. The first one is outside, when you look up and see a dome […]

Filed Under: Community, Worship Tagged With: First visit to an Orthodox Church, Narthex, Sign of the Cross

Letters to a Young Pastor: The Children’s Sermon — Picking Your Topic

April 19, 2018 by Gary Neal Hansen 2 Comments

Picking Your Topic

Dear ______: Okay, I promised some input on the actual contents of your children’s sermons. I hope you don’t mind the extended rant about problems to avoid, but your actions are as much a witness to Christ (or, God forbid, a witness against him) as your words. That counts when preaching to grown-ups as well […]

Filed Under: Ministry, Worship Tagged With: Children's Sermons, Picking Your Topic

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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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