John Mark Hicks

This past weekend, on February 20, I was honored to participate in the memorial service of a godly woman in Colonial Heights, Virginia. Rose Marie Paden–the beloved mother of the Paden boys and girls, and the second mother of the Hicks boys and girl–passed from this life on February 12, 2016. In 1953, Rose Marie […]

We need more lament songs. I was reminded of of this while studying Amos 8:9.  The prophet offers the most chilling metaphor for lament imaginable for an ancient Israelite:  “I will make it like the mourning of an only son.” Children killed in their schools, on the streets of a sporting event, by abuse at […]

The early church, even as its Scripture was being written, expaned the Hebrew Psalter to include their own faith-hymns. Some (like Luke’s Canticles) are squarely rooted in the Hebrew traditions though with a Christological application and others reflect the new situation of the people of God in the church as the story of Israel is […]

The book of Revelation portrays an eschatological community worshipping the one who sits on the throne. It is eschatological in the sense that Revelation portrays the present and future celebration of God’s redemptive work as it is experienced around the heavenly throne. The present worship of the church participates in the present and future worship of those […]

The New Testament offers little liturgical help for conducting the Lord’s Supper. This is especially true regarding hymnology. No account of the Lord’s Supper, except the Last Supper itself, connects music and the Supper (Matthew 26:30). Other than the fact that the Jerusalem community praised God as they ate—and presumably this included songs as well […]