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.

LENT 4, MARCH 15, 2026

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Outline for Worship (with Sermon)
Sunday, March 15, 2026 – Fourth Sunday in Lent
ELW Holy Communion Setting 5

GATHERING

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRIEF ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, who forgives all our sin,
whose mercy endures forever.
C: Amen.

P: Let us confess our sin before God, who removes our guilt and
blots out all offenses.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: For seeking worldly delights that deceive us and dishonour you:
Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: For desiring self-reliance instead of hungering for your word:
Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: For failing to recognize your coming reign, and for hindering
the work of the Spirit: Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: For drawing from the well of self-serving ambition, and for
disdaining the living water Christ offers: Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: For disregarding voices from the margin, and for distrusting signs
of your healing and hope in the world: Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: For dwelling in tombs of self-pity and discontent, and for disregarding
Christ’s call to come forth to life: Gracious God,
C: have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.

P: God’s steadfast love, grace, and forgiveness abound.
Through faith, the free gift of God, you have been clothed in the
righteousness of Christ.
In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. The Spirit of
the One who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, pours God’s
love into your hearts, and gives you life and peace.
C: Amen.

ENTRANCE HYMN – I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light (ELW #815)

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.

PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray.
P: Bend your ear to our prayers, Lord Christ, and come among us. By your
gracious life and death for us, bring light into the darkness of our hearts,
and anoint us with your Spirit, for you live and reign with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.

WORD

FIRST READING: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have
rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out;
I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a
king among his sons." 2 Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it,
he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say,
'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice,
and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the
one whom I name to you." 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded,
and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling,
and said, "Do you come peaceably?" 5 He said, "Peaceably; I have come
to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to
the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them
to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought,
"Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said
to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see;
they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel.
He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." 9 Then Jesse made
Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."
10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said
to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." 11 Samuel said to Jesse,
"Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest,
but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him;
for we will not sit down until he comes here." 12 He sent and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said,
"Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil,
and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the
LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set
out and went to Ramah.

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

Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not be in want.
2 The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures
and leads me beside still waters.
3 You restore my soul, O Lord,
and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

SECOND READING: Ephesians 5:8-14
8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as
children of light- 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and
right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no
part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it
is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13 but everything
exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible
is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ
will shine on you."

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

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
C: Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

GOSPEL
P: The Holy Gospel according to John 9:1-41
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born
blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works
of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 When he had
said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread
the mud on the man's eyes, 7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam"
(which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
8 The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began
to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some were saying,
"It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept saying,
"I am the man." 10 But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"
11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes,
and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and
received my sight." 12 They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not
know." 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight.
He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see."
16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does
not observe the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner
perform such signs?" And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the
blind man, "What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened."
He said, "He is a prophet." 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been
blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man
who had received his sight 19 and asked them, "Is this your son, who you
say was born blind? How then does he now see?" 20 His parents answered,
"We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do
not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this
because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed
that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out
of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind,
and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner."
25 He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know,
that though I was blind, now I see." 26 They said to him, "What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?" 27 He answered them, "I have told you already,
and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want
to become his disciples?" 28 Then they reviled him, saying, "You are his
disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken
to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."
30 The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know
where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God
does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and
obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone
opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God,
he could do nothing." 34 They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins,
and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out. 35 Jesus heard
that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you
believe in the Son of Man?" 36 He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me,
so that I may believe in him." 37 Jesus said to him, "You have seen him,
and the one speaking with you is he." 38 He said, "Lord, I believe." And he
worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgement so that
those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."
40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we
are not blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would
not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

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

SERMON
Psalm 23
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 Twenty-Third Psalm teaches us many valuable lessons. In a mere
fifty-seven words of Hebrew and just about twice that number in the English
translation, the author of the Twenty-Third Psalm gives us an entire theology,
a more practical theology than we can find in many books. It teaches us to
look at the world and see it as God would have us see it.
The Lord is my Shepherd. If we are anxious, this psalm gives us the
courage to overcome our fears. If we are grieving, it offers comfort as we find
our way through the valley of the shadow. This psalm guides us to replenish
our souls. If we are obsessed with what we lack, it teaches us gratitude for
what we have. And most of all, if we feel alone and adrift in a friendless world,
it offers us the priceless reassurance that “Thou art with me.” God cannot
promise happy endings in a world where laws of nature and human cruelty
take their daily toll, but God promises us that we will never be alone.
I shall not want. We would all be happier, more content people if we focused
on what God has provided us, rather than wishing we had more. Which is the
greater faith: to love God because God gives us everything we ask for, or to
love God because God is God, even if life turns out to be less full of blessings
than we might have hoped for?
The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures. God created his
world so that we would live comfortably in it. God has coloured the world
predominately with calming colours: blue sky, green leaves, blue-green water,
brown trees. These are low-intensity colours that calm rather than excite.
For those of us who live or work in the city, mostly in man-made environments,
we instinctively feel the need to find our way to God’s world. There is
something life-giving and rejuvenating walking on a beach or hiking in
the woods, even sitting on the deck in our own backyard.
And leads me beside still waters. If we extend the contrast between still
water and surging water from the natural to the emotional realm, we can
see God as that power that lets us control all the surging emotions that
well up inside of us. Many of us have experienced emotions that have
gotten out of control. God becomes the power that enables us to control
our out-of-control feelings. When the psalmist praises God for leading him
beside the still waters, he is not only thanking God for providing refreshing
water to quench his thirst but also thanking God for keeping his emotional
waters still and manageable. He is thanking God for the blessing of self-control.
You restore my soul, O Lord. When our souls are on the verge of giving in to
compassion fatigue, when we know what the right thing to do is but we are tired
of being charitable and helpful, that is when we need God to restore our souls,
to replenish our ability to act like human beings, to understand what is asked of
us is not to make the world perfect but to make one’s life better. When events
challenge our faith so that we find it hard to believe that this world is
God’s world, that is when we need God to restore our souls, to reinforce
our ability to believe in ourselves and our ability to do good things.
And guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake. The Hebrew
phrase which we translate as “right pathways,” means something more complex.
It literally means “roundabout ways that end up in the right direction.” Looking back
on my own life, I can honestly say this has been the norm for me and not
the exception. Take some time to think about your own journey. When we
reflect on the paths our lives have taken and all the good things that have
come our way, some of which we could never have anticipated, let us pause
to thank God for leading us in roundabout paths ending up where we were
meant to be.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The author of
the Twenty-Third Psalm knew what it felt like to walk in the valley of the shadow.
But he also knew that time in the valley is temporary. Human beings are not
created to live in darkness. Our eyes require light, our bodies require sunshine,
and our souls need companionship, laughter, and a sense of purpose.
God’s role is not to protect us from pain and loss, but to protect us from
letting pain and loss define our lives. God offers God’s hand to lead us
through the valley of darkness.
I shall fear no evil; for you are with me. Philosopher Martin Buber once
tried to explain the difference between theology and religion by saying
that theology was talking about God while religion was experiencing God.
God’s promise is that when we must face pain and the unfairness of the world,
we will not have to face it alone, for God will be with us. The key to surviving
misfortune is the realization that God stands with us. Any misfortune we
suffer is not God’s will. When we chose to affirm life in the face of loss,
to affirm goodness in the face of evil, God is with us and we are with God,
and the future does not frighten us.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. The staff is a symbol of help and
support; the rod is a symbol of discipline and punishment. The psalmist is
comforted by God’s rod and God’s staff, because he recognizes God is in
control of the world and the world is not spiralling down into chaos. God is a
God of forgiveness, a God of second chances. God takes our behaviour
seriously and holds us accountable for what we do, because if God doesn’t,
why should we? Good people stumble and fall, but God the faithful shepherd
is there to help them recover.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Food is
an expression of love, a statement of caring. It is important to remember that
when human beings fail us, when friends let us down and our burdens are
too much for us to bear alone, God is there to renew our strength and give
us what we need to go on with our lives.
You anoint my head with oil. To anoint someone means to say that
someone is special, designated for greatness. The psalmist is saying,
“God, you have not only given me the gifts of food and safety. You have
given me the gift of being special, and I accept the responsibility that comes
with that gift.” In God’s eyes every one of us is known by name.
And my cup is running over. Gratitude is a fundamental religious emotion.
It is where religion begins in the heart. We learn to see our lives as the
accumulation of gifts that God has given us. We reciprocate God’s generosity
by giving God our thanks and our trust. Our ability to receive God’s blessings
with thanksgiving will never exceed God’ s ability to bless us.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
The psalmist is reminding us that if we would only stop pursuing happiness
so strenuously, then goodness and mercy will find their way into our lives.
Goodness has been defined as feeling good about life, feeling good
about oneself, happy about being who we are. Mercy has been defined
as the discovery of forgiveness, the experience of being given things we
may not have earned.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Home speaks of love,
of an enduring relationship. Home symbolizes safety, security, a refuge.
God’s house is also a sanctuary in the sense of a Holy place. To live in the
house of the Lord is to have relationship with God based on the capacity for
righteous living that God has planted in each one of us.
Let me conclude with a little story. A dramatist of a century earlier travelled
America from coast to coast. He had studied theatre and was a skilled speaker.
He always concluded each performance by quoting a passage from the Bible.
And so, on this one evening he chose the 23rd Psalm to recite. The audience
had never heard the Psalm read so eloquently. Each phrase was couched
with perfect intonation and nuance. And when he finished, the audience
jumped to their feet and gave him a standing ovation. They had never
heard the Psalm read so skillfully.
While the audience applauded an old man at the back, unnoticed, shuffled to
the front and up on the stage with the dramatist. “Mind if I say the 23rd Psalm?”
Taken aback, the dramatist said, “No, go ahead.” The old man’s voice cracked
as he began. “The Lord is my shepherd.” His words were choppy and uneven.
“I shall not want.” He went on through to the end and then turned to go shuffle
off the stage. But when he had finished there were no sounds of applause.
No ovations. Instead, deafening silence throughout the vast auditorium.
The dramatist looked out to see some persons with bowed heads, others with
moist eyes. “What did you do? You didn’t recite the Psalm as well as I did,
yet I have never seen an audience so moved by your words. How did you
do that?” “Son, you know the Psalm. But I know the Shepherd.” Do we only
know the words, or do we truly know the Shepherd?
AMEN

Silence is kept for reflection.

HYMN OF THE DAY – Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound (ELW #779)

APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

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.

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. Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
A: Reconciled by God’s mercy and sustained by God’s presence, let us pray for
the world and its needs.
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 Pastor Rob Wiesner and the people
of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Brodhagen. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: God, our shepherd, we pray that you guide the church. Lead Christians
in our community and across the globe in right paths for your name’s sake.
Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: God, our provider, we cry out for this planet and the life it holds.
Rescue endangered animals and plants, preserve threatened ecosystems,
and save creatures from natural disasters. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: God, our sovereign, we plead for your peace on earth. Bring an end to war
and violence, and raise up leaders in governments, courts, businesses, schools,
and community organizations who seek goodness and mercy. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: God, our healer, we call to you in our need. Uplift all who are made to feel
unimportant, and transform the hearts of all infected by bigotry and prejudice.
Care for all in special need this day. We pray especially for Beth, Jean,
Mary Margaret, Kristine, Karen, Emma, Cathy, Lene, Grethe, Lyra, Bud,
Pastor Bob, and those others who are in our hearts. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: God, our friend, we praise you for the diversity of people among us.
Awaken us to share and receive the gifts we each possess, and stir up a
spirit of understanding, celebration, and welcome for all. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

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. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: God, our home, we thank you for all who have died and completed
their baptismal journeys. Grant us faith to live until we too dwell in your
house forever. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Receive our prayers, O God, through Jesus Christ, our strength and salvation.
C: Amen.

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

OFFERING PRAYER
A: O God, maker of heaven and earth, your steadfast love embraces
all creation. You send rain and sunshine to nourish the earth and bring
forth its bounty. Through these gifts of bread and wine, draw us into the
death and life of your Son, who calls us to bear witness to his saving work.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
C: Amen.

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.

BLESSING
P: Receive the blessing of the holy Trinity: God, who calls all things into
existence; Jesus Christ, who redeems us; and the Holy Spirit, whose breath
sustains creation, ☩ bless you now and always.
C: Amen.

SENDING HYMN - Go, My Children, with My Blessing (ELW #543)

DISMISSAL
A: Go in peace. Believe the good news.
C: Thanks be to God.

DISMISSAL HYMN – Go Now in Peace
Go now in peace, never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day.
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true.
Know He will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others, so all the world can see.
God will be there, watching from above.
Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.