Commemoration of Ignatius of Antioch

October 17 commemorates Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr.

Over at Cyberbrethren, Pastor Paul McCain provides a thorough biography and other information on this church father.

For the condensed version, check out this post by Pastor Wil Weedon on his blog.

For those of you who were wondering, my cybername is a tribute to Ignatius of Antioch.  You might think that I am a big fan of this church father, or that I have read a lot about him, or that I did some sort of paper on his works, but the truth is that his commemoration day and my birthday are the same!

So, while I knew these two days coincided, I really don't know much about this father of the church.  I will be reading these links and learning right along with the rest of you.

And, if anyone asks, I turned 29 ;)

I say that every year...

Rev. Larry Peters: Basic Differences

Rev. Larry Peters of Pastoral Meanderings has an interesting post called Basic Differences.

Pastor Peters serves Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville, TN.  There aren't a lot of Lutheran churches there, much less liturgical ones.  Yet he writes about using the liturgy in a growing church that gets 3-8 visiting families every week.  He tackles issues surrounding the Divine Service and its use with visitors for whom the liturgy is foreign.

He frames this around a discussion centered on worship for "seekers" vs. worship for the baptized.

Here is a sample...

This remains the biggest chasm between those who advocate a service that appeals to people's wants, needs, and culture, and those who insist that worship must conform the historic pattern of Word and Meal (within the framework of the mass form, with is Service of the Word and Service of the Sacrament). The debate is not about the age or youth of the hymns (read that songs). It is not about whether the confession can be here or somewhere else in the order. It is not about the words being "King James" or twitter speak. It is not about the use or lack of technology. It is not about vestments or lack of vestments. It is first and foremost about the basic question: Who can worship?

Check out the rest here.

Time Out #35: Comment Available

My comments on the hymn If Thou But Trust in God to Guide Thee are now available over at LutheranTimeOut.org.

The hymn is interesting, there are a few "if you ... then God ..." ideas floating around in the text, so context is everything.