St Ansgar Lutheran Church, London

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Sunday Morning

We invite you to join us for the following worship services:

Sundays
10:30 a.m. Worship service

Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance and other locations in the church for
your use.

Washrooms will be available for use.

In the service: The service will be shown on the screen. The offering will not be gathered and presented, but there will be an offering plate at the back of the sanctuary where you can put your offering as you enter or leave. Pastor David distributes the communion wafers and an Assisting Minister distributes wine or grape juice in individual glasses.

We have coffee and fellowship time available again in Luther Hall after the service.

We will continue to evaluate our worship service procedures on a monthly basis.

PENTECOST SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Outline for Worship (with sermon)
May 24, 2026 – Pentecost Sunday
Based on ELW Setting Four

GATHERING

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRIEF ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, whose compassion endures forever. ☩
C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin to God.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Compassionate God,
C: we confess to you all our sins.
Our burden is heavy, and we cannot free ourselves.
In your mercy, call us back to you.
Your yoke is easy and your burden is light.
Restore us to dwell in your peace. In Christ’s name we pray.
Amen.

P: Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.”
In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Rest ☩
in God’s love.
C: Amen.

ENTRANCE HYMN - O Day Full of Grace (ELW #627)

GREETING
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And also with you

KYRIE
A: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.

A: For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.

A: For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God,
and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.

A: For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise,
let us pray to the Lord.
C: Lord, have mercy.

A: Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
C: Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE (ELW p. 149)
P: This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
C: Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power and riches and wisdom and strength,
and honour and blessing and glory are his.
This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God
and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing and honour and glory and might
be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God,
for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray.
P: O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people by sending into
us your Holy Spirit. Direct us by the light of that Spirit, that we may have a right
judgement in all things and rejoice at all times in your peace, through Jesus
Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
C: Amen

WORD
FIRST READING: Acts 2:1-21
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of
2fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the
Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under
heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was
bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of
each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are
speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native
language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and
proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs--in our own languages we hear them
speaking about God's deeds of power." 12 All were amazed and perplexed,
saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said,
"They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised
his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let
this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk,
as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was
spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I
will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in
the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky
mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the
coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord shall be saved.’

A: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM: Psalm104:24-34, 35b
24 How manifold are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it.
27 All of them look to you
to give them their food in due season.
28 You give it to them; they gather it;
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
and so you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
O Lord, rejoice in all your works.
32 You look at the earth and it trembles;
you touch the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will praise my God while I have my being.
34 May these words of mine please God.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
35b Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Hallelujah!

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
3b No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are
varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but
the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who
activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the
Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of
wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same
Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one
Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the
discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit,
who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12 For just as the
body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though
many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made
to drink of one Spirit.

A: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
C: Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
P: The Holy Gospel according to John 20:19-23
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of
the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus
came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said
this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when
they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on
them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of
any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON
John 20:19-23
The sermon today has been prepared by Rev. Karen Stepko, Assistant to the
Bishop for the Eastern Ministry Area of the Saskatchewan Synod of the ELCIC.
Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the prayers of our hearts, always
be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Strength, and our Redeemer. AMEN
The promise of the Holy Spirit was mentioned many times by Jesus during his
parting words to his disciples.
It is the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, who will teach Jesus’ followers
everything and remind them of all that he has told them. The Spirit, which
glorifies Jesus, will not only testify about him, but will equip us to offer our own
testimony. This ‘Spirit of Truth’ will dwell with believers forever.
Prior to receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples are fearful, but Jesus replaces
their uncertainty and unbelieving with peace and comfort, not simply through his
words to them, but through the gift of God’s ongoing presence.
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” Jesus tells them, reminding them of
the very beginning of his public ministry, when he publicly declared that the
Spirit of the Lord had anointed him to bring good news to the poor, proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, let the oppressed go
free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
After handing on the awesome responsibility of carrying on this same work in
the world to his disciples – a task which, on the surface, seems impossible to do
– Jesus brings them back to life through his breath.
The apostles are empowered by the Holy Spirit – and on Pentecost, we
celebrate the generous and liberal pouring out of that same Holy Spirit upon the
whole church, setting the Spirit loose upon the world in a way which could no
longer be limited, contained, or controlled.
On the first Pentecost, the streets were filled with a diversity of people who were
there to observe the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which commemorated the giving
of the law to Moses and celebrated the first fruits of the harvest. All the people
walking the streets came from different nations. They spoke a variety of
languages, but when they heard this brand-new message from God proclaimed
to them, not in Hebrew as the Torah was written, but in the same words they
used daily in their homes and amongst their neighbours, in a way that they could
easily understand that message, they felt compelled to stop and listen. If there
was any remaining doubt that God was speaking to them, Peter makes it clear
that this message is intended for everyone.
Each year on this Sunday, we hear the story of Jesus’ disciples being filled with
the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost – but their story is also our own story.
We too are Christ’s disciples. That same Holy Spirit is still active among our
community of believers, giving us the ability to speak about God in ways that the
world needs to hear. Our task is still to communicate to all people how much
love God has for the world and that they are included in that love.
On Pentecost, we remember the beginnings of the Christian church – but the
Holy Spirit continues to teach us and guide us, reminding us of everything which
Christ did and continues to do among us.
Several years ago, a very serious motor vehicle accident took place in
Saskatoon between a bicyclist and a cement truck. It claimed the life of a
woman who had been, among other things, a teacher in the Catholic school
system.
The day following the accident had been intended to be a Family Fun Night at
the school where this woman had taught kindergarten. A quick decision was
made to postpone the event, out of respect for her loved ones and the many
teachers, students, and families who were grieving.
The school had made a large advance order for pizzas for the event and the
process of making them was already underway, but when the manager of
Panago Pizza received a phone call explaining the reason for the cancellation,
he assured the school that there would be no charge.
Grateful for this manager’s compassion, a parent from the school posted a
request on social media: if you are considering ordering pizza tonight, order
from this location, to help prevent the pizza dough prepared for our cancelled
order from going to waste.
Panago Pizza on 8th Street had to briefly close their doors to catch up on the
huge influx of orders they received from people living all over Saskatoon.
Instead of suffering a financial loss, as they had accepted that they might, the
restaurant ended up selling twice as many pizzas as they typically do on a
Thursday evening. Additional orders were made in the days that followed as the
story of their kindness continued to spread online.
As theologian Fredrich Buechner put it, “Wherever people love each other and
are true to each other, and take risks for each other, God is with them, and they
are doing God’s will.”
Sometimes we find it difficult to discern what God would have us do and be in
this world or how best to bear witness to Christ in a world populated by multiple
religions, but the Holy Spirit always finds us. The Spirit is continuously surprising
and including people in the family and mission of God who did not expect to
become a part of it.
The Holy Spirit leads us into places where God is at work and pushes beyond
the barriers which we construct to separate ourselves from people who don’t
look, act, or think as we do. It is the Holy Spirit which moves us to love, inspires
us to work for change, and encourages us to persevere. The Spirit is both a
promise of peace and a cause for joy in our lives.
Paul reminds us that there are a variety of gifts, but only one Holy Spirit. The
gifts of the Spirit are given to us, not for our own sake, but for the sake of our
neighbour. These gifts are intended for building up the community and
increasing the common good.
Through baptism, each of us has been given our own measure of the Spirit, and
with it, our own unique qualities to share. The Spirit calls every one of us into
service – sons and daughters, young and old, men and women – and without
the presence of even one member of the body of Christ, something is lacking.
This is an experience which we know all too well, as we look around at empty
pews on a Sunday morning.
Together, every one of us has been given the power to help people discover
what it means to be set free. Throughout history, the church has been
responsible for both living out our mission to care for the lost, the lonely, and the
least – and for failing to do so, either by remaining silent or misusing the power
which Christ has bestowed upon us. If we do not bear witness to Christ, we
cannot play a role in delivering people from all that keeps them from
experiencing the fullness that Jesus has to offer.
Is our desire to be the people in the Pentecost story who become caught up in
the Holy Spirit’s power? Or would we rather be those who cynically scoff at the
idea that God could be at work even today through those as ordinary as we are
and our neighbours? The choice is up to each one of us, lived out through the
witness which we choose to share with the world.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to remind us of God’s love for all
people in Jesus Christ. That same Spirit continues to come, giving us the
courage to venture beyond our locked rooms and continue Jesus’ work of
making God’s presence known in the world. AMEN

HYMN OF THE DAY – Spirit of Gentleness (ELW #396)

SERVICE OF BAPTISM FOR DONALD WILLIAM MINERS (ELW p. 227)
Presentation
P: In baptism our gracious heavenly Father frees us from sin and death by
joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are born
children of a fallen humanity; by water and the Holy Spirit we are reborn children
of God and made members of the church, the body of Christ. Living with Christ
and in the communion of saints, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will
of God.
P: Donald, called by the Holy Spirit, trusting in the grace and love of God, do
you desire to be baptized into Christ?
Response: I do.

P: Will you live among God's faithful people,
proclaim Christ through word and deed,
care for others and the world God made,
seek to know Christ through God’s Word,
grow in faith and live the Christian life?
Response: I will.

P: People of God, do you promise to support Donald ,
and pray for him in his new life in Christ?
Response: We do.

The assembly stands.

Profession of Faith
P: I ask you to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin,
and confess the faith of the church.

P: Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God?
Response: I renounce them.

P: Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God?
Response: I renounce them.

P: Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God?
Response: I renounce them.

The presiding minister addresses the candidates and the assembly.
P: Do you believe in God the Father?
C: I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

P: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
C: I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

P: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
C: I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Thanksgiving at the Font
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.

P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

P: We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the
waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you
took delight. Through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family,
and through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the
river your son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By the
baptism of Jesus’ death and resurrection you set us free from the power of sin
and death and raise us up to live in you.
Pour out your Holy Spirit, the power of your living Word, that those who are
washed in the waters of baptism may be given new life. To you be given honour
and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and
forever.
C: Amen.

The assembly may be seated.

Baptism
P: Donald William Miners , I baptize you in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
After baptism, the assembly may respond with the following.
C: You belong to Christ, in whom you have been baptized. Alleluia.
The presiding minister continues:

P: Let us pray.
We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your
daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal
life.
Laying both hands on the head of the newly baptized, the presiding minister prays:
P: Sustain Donald with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever.
C: Amen.

The presiding minister marks the sign of the cross on the forehead of the baptized.
Oil prepared for this purpose may be used. As the sign of the cross is made,
the minister says:

P: Donald , child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked
with the cross of Christ forever.
C: Amen.

Welcome
A lighted candle may be given to the newly baptized as a representative of the
congregation says:
Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.
The ministers and the baptismal group face the assembly.
A representative of the congregation leads the assembly in the welcome.
Let us welcome the newly baptized.
C: We welcome you into the body of Christ and into the mission we share: join
us in giving thanks and praise to God and bearing God’s creative and
redeeming word to all the world.

BAPTISMAL HYMN - Baptized and Set Free (ELW #453)

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
A: Trusting in the power of Christ’s resurrection to heal and redeem our broken
world, let us pray for the needs of all creation.
A: God of our church, send forth your Spirit as we pray for our Bishops Larry and
Carla. Empower them with your wisdom to lead the church. We also pray for the
Thames Ministry area, especially our Pastor David and the people of St. Ansgar
congregation. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: O God, you send the Holy Spirit to gather your church into one. Inspire all
ministers of the gospel to speak prophetic and hope-filled words to all whom
they encounter. Bless the work of interreligious dialogue. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: You send the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. Protect all living
things, bring forth clean water and abundant food, and grant us wonder as
we contemplate all you have made. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.
A: You send the Holy Spirit to break down the barriers of communication among
nations. Bestow peace in war-torn areas and guide all in government and
society to work for justice and equity. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: You send the Holy Spirit to accompany those who feel abandoned. Provide
food for those who hunger and drink for those who thirst, soothe those who are
anxious or bereaved, comfort those who are sick or suffering, and answer all
who call upon your name. We pray especially for Beth, Jean, Mary Margaret,
Kristine, Karen, Emma, Cathy, Lene, Lyra, Bud, Pastor Bob, Heather, Margaret,
and those others who are in our hearts. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: You send the Holy Spirit through the gift of baptism. Bless those who are
newly baptized, or preparing for baptism, or affirming their baptism. May they be
encouraged by their community of faith as they live out their baptismal promises.
Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Merciful God, we pray for peace as war continues to rage in Ukraine and in
the Middle East. Shelter all living in fear; protect those seeking refuge in
neighbouring countries; sustain families separated by the horrors of war;
tend to those who are injured; comfort all who mourn their dead.
Direct your people into the way of peace. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: You send the Holy Spirit to console us in our grief. We give you thanks for our
ancestors in the faith, including scientists Nicolaus Copernicus and Leonhard
Euler, whose witness to your mighty works continues to inspire our lives.
Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: God of resurrection power, use us and these prayers to proclaim the good
news of new life to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Saviour.
C: Amen.

PEACE
P: The peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you.

LORD’S PRAYER
P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.
C: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

SENDING

BLESSING
P: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, + one God, bless, heal, and hold you today
and always.
C: Amen.

SENDING HYMN – Lord, You Give the Great Commission (ELW #579)

DISMISSAL
A: Heaven has come near. Go, share the good news!
C: Thanks be to God.

DISMISSAL HYMN – The Lord Now Sends Us Forth (ELW #538)
Verse 1
The Lord now sends us forth
with hands to serve and give,
to make of all the earth
a better place to live. Repeat (2X)

Verse 2
The angels are not sent
into our world of pain
to do what we were meant
to do in Jesus' name;
that falls to you and me
and all who are made free.
Help us, O Lord, we pray,
to do your will today. Repeat (2X)