John Mark Hicks

An English version is available here. La teología sacramental, en algunos sectores del cristianismo norteamericano, necesita una reorientación desde una comprensión antropocéntrica, centrada en el ser humano, donde los sacramentos son concebidos como meros actos de obediencia humana, hacia una comprensión más teocéntrica donde los sacramentos son concebidos como actos divinos de gracia a través […]

James Thompson of Christianity Today asked for a statement about the Lord’s Supper. This is what I gave him (and it was published in the paper today). “Table is the dominant metaphor among Churches of Christ. We practice it weekly. Given our Presbyterian roots, both Zwinglian (memorialist) and Calvinian (spiritual presence) perspectives are present. At […]

When family sit at the table together in unity, it is like Aaron receiving the blessing of ordination for the sake of the people of God and Zion receiving the blessing of moisture from Mt. Hermon. God has commanded that Zion is the place of blessing, and it brings everlasting life to those who receive […]

Probably the most beloved and memorized Psalm in the modern world, Psalm 23 is filled with wonderful images and metaphors that function are multiple layers: salvation history, communal stories, and personal testimony. At the center lies the assurance, “You are with me!” Immanuel. God is with us–to protect, guide, nourish, welcome, host, and commune. Bobby […]

This communion mediation is based on 1 Corinthians 10:16. It discusses the meaning of “This is my body” through the lens of 1 Corinthians 10:16. What is the meaning of “is”? What is its meaning for the table of the Lord?

Texts: Mark 10:41-45; 11:15-18; 12:28-34; 14:22-25 Days 43-46 in Around the Bible in Eighty Days. As Jesus traveled to Jerusalem in order to suffer and die, he frames this journey as one of service. The mission of Jesus is to serve others, and that is why he became a “slave of all.” The “Son of […]

Why do we eat at the Lord’s table like it is still Friday when it is Sunday, resurrection day?

Paul has set a high bar for Philemon. Given Philemon’s social world, Paul’s requests are astounding. As Philemon’s slave, Onesimus has neither social status nor civil rights. Onesimus cannot sit at the same table with his master. He cannot marry whom he chooses, and he has no real options other than what Philemon decides. As […]

Listening to this letter within the community of his own house church, Philemon hears Paul’s affection for Onesimus. He is not only Paul’s child but Paul’s own “heart.” “I am sending my heart back to you,” Paul writes. This simple statement has several significant rhetorical functions. First, Paul not only does not secretly hide Onesimus […]