John Mark Hicks

This PDF provides a history of Lent, a theology of Lent, and some theological suggestions for preaching the lectionary texts of 2026.

Texts: Acts 2:42-45; 3:1; Eph 4:7-8, 11-12 Days 62-64 in Around the Bible in Eighty Days. Previously, we have seen the formation of community through a shared initiation (baptism), shared faith in Jesus the Messiah (through the apostles’ teaching), and a shared table (breaking bread). These were communal moments in Acts 2. Together, 3000 were […]

How, then, might we read the Bible in a healthier way? This a brief introduction to reading the Bible through the lens of the story of God in Christ by Spirit. Some practical suggestions at the end.

This sermon, delivered at the Southwest Church of Christ in Amarillo, TX, is based on 2 Corinthians 8-9. How does one obey the gospel? Is generosity obedience to the gospel? Paul calls the Corinthians to give out of the gracious dynamic that is fundamental to the story of God in Christ. Just as God has […]

[Sermon begins at the 55 minute mark.] How do you persuade a wealthy congregation in Corinth to share their resources with an impoverished and ethnically different group of people in Jerusalem almost 1,000 miles distant? When they shared from their resources with the Jerusalem believers, Paul wrote, they would “glorify God by [their] obedience to […]

While the final appeal for generosity Paul makes is the inexpressible gift of Jesus, he also draws on numerous texts from the Scriptures to make his case: Proverbs 11:24; Deuteronomy 15:10; Proverbs 22:8 (LXX); Psalm 112:9; Isaiah 55:10; and Hosea 10:12. He assumes his readers are familiar with their Bible, and through the echoes of […]

[This is copied from my book Searching for the Pattern, pp. 90-104. Due to a recent bout with COVID-19, I have not had the energy or time to do any original writing on 2 Corinthians 8-9. However, I think the following captures the essence of Paul’s theological interests in this section of the letter. Two […]

I have some suggestions for Christmas! But first a little biblical theology…. Israel enjoyed their Spring and Fall harvests with week-long celebrations. In the Spring, seven weeks after Passover, Israel celebrated the Spring harvest with the “Festival of Harvest/Weeks” (Pentecost). In the Fall, Israel celebrated the Fall harvest with the “Festival of Booths/Tabernacles.” These festivals […]

Note: This is the second of six small group studies that are coordinated with a sermon series by Dean Barham, the preaching minister at the Woodmont Family of God. Eventually, his sermons will be available here. The first small group study lesson is here. Free from Debt and Free to Share Deuteronomy 15:1-11 Among other things, debt creates […]

Note: This is the second of six small group studies that are coordinated with a sermon series by Dean Barham, the preaching minister at the Woodmont Family of God. Eventually, his sermons will be available here. The first small group study lesson is here. Free From Greed, Free to Share 1 Timothy 6:2b-19 Free From Greed There are […]