Blog - Page 118 of 318 - John H Armstrong

The Clash of Worldviews on Easter Day

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 24th, 2011|Categories: Gospel/Good News, Jesus, Resurrection|

This day (Easter) more clearly demarcates the dividing line between the world view of fallen human power from the world view of Jesus of Nazareth than any other. (This truth is asserted each Lord’s Day since it is Easter that makes the whole of the calendar change once and for all!)

While Jesus was alone in the garden, on Thursday evening of Holy Week, the army of the powerful came to take over. They represent a world which cannot tolerate the existence of another world than the world of the “big deals.” It was necessary for them to destroy the threat of uncontrolled goodness which was revealed fully in the man Christ Jesus.

The unbelieving world view says:

Big deals control the little people, the poor, etc.
Big deals want mercy for some, the good people.
Big deals want blessing for those who deserve it.
Big deals want to reserve privilege for the righteous, people like them.
Thus big deals believe the good news is for the rich and powerful.
Big deals trust human power […]

The Sacred Triduum

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 23rd, 2011|Categories: Church Tradition, The Church|

My wife asked me, late last week when she saw our church sign, “What is the Triduum?” I thought some of you might wonder the same unless you grew up in a tradition that celebrates all the major portions of Holy Week.

Triduum is Latin for “three-day period.” The Triduum is a solemn celebration of the mysteries of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. It begins with the Eucharist on Thursday evening and concludes with what is called “the Evening Prayer” on Saturday. On Friday our own church will strip the altar of all symbols, cups, trays, candles, etc.

Holy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. Here the ritual of washing the feet is often included. This ritual had a profound impact on me when I first began to take part in it several years ago. This day is often called Maundy Thursday because Jesus gave his new commandment on this day. Maundy comes from the word mandatum, which means mandate or commandment. The celebration of the Lord’s […]

Death on a Friday Afternoon

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 22nd, 2011|Categories: Christ/Christology, Death|

Today, the world over, Christians remember the death of their Savior, Jesus Christ. We take part in various remembrances, some elaborate and some simple, even Puritan. Regardless, many of us will participate in some service of remembrance and express our thanks to God for the gift of his Son.

I have participated in many different death rituals in various countries and cultures. The most unusual was in India. I will never get over what transpired on my second extended trip there in the 1980s. One of the leaders of the mission we worked with had come to meet us at the airport, a drive of about four hours or more. His van had run into the back of a large truck, stopped in the middle of the road in typical Indian fashion. He had been thrown forward off the back seat (where he was sleeping) and was internally injured and died after some hours of suffering by the side of the highway with no medical help. Our team […]

The Pastor: A Memoir

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 21st, 2011|Categories: Pastoral Renewal, The Christian Minister/Ministry|

One of my favorite modern Protestant writers is Eugene H. Peterson. I’ve never met Eugene, though I’ve spoken to him on the telephone. I invited him to participate in a writing project and he phoned me to decline. He was the only person, in a long list of invited contributors, who did that. (Some didn't bother to even respond in writing.) I am still impressed. He owed me nothing but a polite “turn down” but he wanted to encourage me by telling me my goals were worthy but he could not help me. He was apologetic and gracious. It made an impression.

A number of friends know Eugene and some had him as a teacher at Regent College in Vancouver. They have shared numerous stories with me about this senior statesman of the faith. Peterson is one of those guys who makes me listen when he speaks, even though I do not always agree with him. (But then who do I always agree with anyway and who really cares?)

[…]

Does Christian Social Service Call for the Faithful to be Poor?

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 20th, 2011|Categories: Discipleship, Love, Poverty, Wealth|

The subject of Christian vocation, wealth and poverty has been frequently debated and quite often misunderstood. On one side Christians argue that Jesus calls all his followers to renounce wealth in order to enter the kingdom of God. On the opposite Christians have argued that wealth is good, desirable and a great blessing to be pursued by all believers. The truth is that both extremes are wrong. It would be so easy if one were right but the biblical evidence will not support either of these positions.

First, wealth can be embraced and used wisely by faith. The first Christians were often poor, but not exclusively so. As I read through the New Testament recently I noted again that there were clearly some wealthy people in the early church. And the Old Testament reveals that many godly people were also wealthy, even extremely wealthy in some cases. (God never condemns this fact!)

Over time the gospel penetrated into Caesar’s household and men and (especially) women of means became patrons […]

Social Theology and Christian Service

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 19th, 2011|Categories: Love, Poverty|

Yesterday I commented on the recent sermon of Fr. Ramon Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household. Cantalamessa stressed in a Lenten sermon that love must be active and when it is the social relevance of the gospel is made clear. He noted that the earliest Christian communities were known for “sharing” what they had with those in need.

So what does this tradition of charity and service mean to us in the 21st century and a world that is so interconnected?

In 1891 Pope Leo XIII issued one of the most significant of all papal encyclicals: Rerum Novarum. I cite it often and urge all believers to read this remarkable document. On the one hundredth anniversary of this encyclical, in May of 1991, Pope John Paul II issued an anniversary encyclical that had the title Centesimus Annus. This highly important document develops the same Christian social teaching for the modern era. I have this document near my desk at all times. (Both documents are free and […]

The Son of Man Came Not to Be Served, But to Serve

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:39-05:00April 18th, 2011|Categories: Love, Poverty|

In Matthew 20 Jesus speaks of the Son of Man coming into the world as a servant. He teaches his followers to serve as he served. No single Christian principle has produced more good in the world than this: serving others. Here is how Jesus teaches his followers:

You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:25-28).

There are few words in all of human history that come close to these in terms of genuinely turning the world upside down. Jesus says, in effect, that you should have this raging, aggressive ambition that dominates your whole life. You must not be indifferent. You should, as we say in the West, be “driven by this ambition.” You should strive […]

The Greatest Thrill on Ice

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:40-05:00April 17th, 2011|Categories: Friendship, Personal|

I enjoy a very special friendship with a brother in Christ who is one of the owners of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team. As a result of my friendship, and my real love for hockey, I have adopted the Canucks as my favorite team in the NHL. I have even had the privilege of seeing a game at the Rogers Center in Vancouver and sitting with my friend. I saw the inside of the arena and the entire operation. It was an exciting night in late 2009.

My Chicago friends are surprised, once again, that I root against my home town team but so be it. Friends trump towns unless it is the Atlanta Braves and/or the Alabama Crimson Tide, which are just too deeply rooted in my childhood and the impact of my dad on my life.

Tonight offered me one of the true thrills of my post-season hockey experience — seeing the Canucks beat the Blackhawks 3-2 to go up three games to none in […]

A Meditation for the Last Sunday in Lent

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:40-05:00April 17th, 2011|Categories: Personal, Prayer|

The famous 20th century British evangelical preacher F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) left us a model prayer that I have found incredibly useful, especially during Lent.

Forgive me, most gracious Lord and Father, if this day I have done or said anything to increase the pain of this world. Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sympathy and kindly help where I have had the opportunity, but missed it; and enable me so to live that I may daily do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow, and add to the sum of human happiness.

Too many of my words and gestures have been unkind. And I have too frequently failed to show sympathy, especially to those closest to me. I am very sure that I do not consider often enough how I can daily lessen the tide of human sorrow. May God help me during this season of repentance.

The ACT 3 Story

By John Armstrong|2021-07-02T06:17:43-05:00April 16th, 2011|Categories: ACT 3, Personal|

Since various readers discover me and the mission of ACT 3 in various ways and in different contexts many have not seen “The ACT 3 Story,” our unique video which explains my life and vision. Eighteen months ago two young filmmakers came to my home and the campus of Wheaton College to tell my story through film. This video still does an excellent job of sharing my story. If you would like to know more, and gain a sense of what I’m all about, then watch the presentation at: http://www.act3online.com/avms.asp. When you get to this site it begins to play a recent podcast of the ACT 3 Weekly. Scroll down the side bar to "Just Video" and then pick "The ACT 3 Story" (not the short version which opens automatically when you go to our home page on the site). It takes about thirty minutes. I would love to hear from some of you if you take the time to see the film.