St Ansgar Lutheran Church, London

Home	About Us	Our Location	Sunday Morning	Contacting Us	Pastor's Message	Calendar	Useful Links	Photo Gallery

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.

TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD, FEBRUARY 15, 2026.

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Outline for Worship (with sermon)
Sunday, February 15, 2026 – Transfiguration of Our Lord
Based on ELW Setting Four

GATHERING

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRIEF ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, the Creator of heaven and earth,
the Word who spoke life into being, the Wind stirring the waters.
C: Amen.

P: Let us turn in confession to the one who knows us completely.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Mighty God, lover of justice,
C: you call us to life in community, but we have served our own
interests at the expense of our neighbours.
We have sown deceit where honesty was needed.
We say the right words, but our hearts are far from you.
Turn us to seek your face.
Knit us together and give us the mind of Christ, that we may do justice,
love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.

P: The former things have passed away, and new things God now declares.
Like a spring of water that never fails, God covers you in the righteousness
of Christ, and forgives your sin in ☩ Jesus’ name.
May the Spirit give you strength to live for others, and bless you with
the gift of peace.
C: Amen.

ENTRANCE HYMN - How Good, Lord, to Be Here! (ELW #315)

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 (sung) (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, in the transfiguration of your Son you confirmed the mysteries
of the faith by the witness of Moses and Elijah, and in the voice from the
bright cloud declaring Jesus your beloved Son, you foreshadowed
our adoption as your children. Make us heirs with Christ of your glory,
and bring us to enjoy its fullness, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour
and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
Amen

WORD

FIRST READING: Exodus 24:12-18
12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there;
and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment,
which I have written for their instruction." 13 So Moses set out with his assistant
Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 To the elders he
had said, "Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur
are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them." 15 Then Moses went
up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the
LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the
seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of
the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in
the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud, and went up on
the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

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

PSALM 2
1 Why are the nations in an uproar?
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2 Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt, and the princes plot together
against the Lord and against the Lord’s anointed?
3 “Let us break their yoke,” they say;
“let us cast off their bonds from us.”
4 God whose throne is in heaven is laughing;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then in wrath God speaks to them
and in rage fills them with terror.
6 “As for me, I have anointed my king
upon Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 Let me announce the decree of the Lord,
who said to me, “You are my son; this day I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
9 You shall crush them with an iron rod
and shatter them like a piece of pottery.”
10 And now, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Submit to the Lord with fear,
and with trembling bow in worship;
12 lest the Lord be angry, and you perish in a sudden blaze of wrath.
Happy are all who take refuge in God!

SECOND READING: 2 Peter 1:16-21
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known
to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been
eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honour and glory from God
the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory,
saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with
him on the holy mountain. 19 So we have the prophetic message more
fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining
in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a
matter of one's own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by
human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

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 Matthew 17:1-9
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured
before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became
dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah,
talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here;
if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses,
and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud
overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son,
the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 6 When the
disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid."
8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no
one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

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

SERMON
Matthew 17:1-9
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
In our scripture passages this morning, we heard about probably two of the
greatest figures in the Bible, Moses and Jesus. Each of them had their own
“mountain top” experience. We begin in the Book of Exodus with Moses being
called to go up to Mount Sinai to meet with God. This is the same mountain
where Moses had earlier encountered God in the burning bush. At that time,
God called Moses to go to Egypt and lead the people of Israel out of slavery.
Moses had been faithful to that call and now was called back to Sinai once again.
This time, God delivers the Law to Moses, the covenant by which God’s
people were expected to live. Since God had delivered them from slavery,
God expected them to live in a new way. The details of the covenant were
spelled out by God and given to Moses.
For forty days and nights, Moses had the unprecedented opportunity to
converse directly with God. Moses spent almost six weeks in the cloud of
fire that signified God’s presence. Moses listened intently as God outlined
what was expected of the people. And when the time was over, Moses brought
back to the people two stone tablets on which God’s own hand had
inscribed how the Israelites were to live.
Hundreds of years later, Matthew tells us about an experience that Jesus
also had on a mountain top. While Jesus’ experience was much shorter
than Moses’, it was no less dramatic. Jesus went up on a mountain with
three of his disciples. The Gospel of Luke tells us the four of them went to
pray and it was while they were praying that the miraculous events recorded
in the Gospels occurred. Jesus’ appearance was completely transfigured.
His face began to shine, and his clothes turned a dazzling white.
The connection with Moses’ mountain top experience is made when
Moses himself appears on the mountain beside Jesus, along with Elijah.
Clearly, this incredible occurrence is an indication of the importance of
Jesus’ mission. Jesus stands alongside Moses and Elijah, the greatest
leaders and prophets in Jewish history.
An even more incredible thing happened on that mountain top, just as it
happened on Mount Sinai. God is present in a bright cloud. And out of that
bright cloud God speaks. But this time instead of giving the law, God says,
“This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
In these miraculous events, Jesus is affirmed as not only the latest in the
line of great prophets; he is recognized as greater than Elijah and Moses.
For Jesus is proclaimed as God’s Son, and his words are confirmed as
having as much, if not more, validity than the Law of Moses.
So out of these two mountain top experiences, Moses and Jesus both
receive affirmation and direction. Both encounter God in a very direct way.
And both are empowered to continue the work which they have already begun.
But in both cases, the response by others to what happens on the mountain
top is very disappointing.
While Moses was on the mountain receiving the tablets of the Law from God,
the people of Israel grew impatient. They came to Moses’ brother, Aaron,
whom God had appointed to lead the people during Moses’ absence,
and asked him to make gods for them. So, Aaron oversaw the making of
a golden calf for the people to worship and to make sacrifices. When Moses
came down from the mountain, he discovered people in great celebration.
They were singing and dancing and declaring that this calf represented
the gods who had brought them out of Egypt.
The contrast between the mountain top experience and the depravity he
witnessed was too much for Moses to bear. He took the stone tablets that
God had spent forty days writing and explaining and threw them to the ground,
breaking them into pieces. He also took the golden calf and threw it into
the fire. In the end, Moses interceded with God to forgive the great sin
of the people. And ultimately, he returned to the mountain once again
to get another copy of the stone tablets of the covenant.
Jesus, too, must have been greatly disappointed by his disciples’ reaction
to what happened on the mountain top and shortly thereafter. Right in the
middle of the transfiguration experience, Peter says, “Lord it is good for us
to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one
for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Here stand these three disciples in the
presence of possibly the three greatest figures in Judeo-Christian history,
and all Peter can think about is setting up booths for them. It was no doubt
a well-intentioned idea, but it is clear Peter and the other two disciples had
no understanding of the significance of this moment.
This would not be the last time Jesus would be disappointed with his disciples.
And the golden calf was not the last time Moses was disappointed with the
people of Israel. Both leaders experienced repeated frustration at the lack
of understanding, trust, and obedience on the part of their followers.
We all have “mountain top” experiences from time to time. There are times
we feel lifted above our normal experience when we can reach beyond the
usual events of the life we are used to living. In these times we may
experience great emotional release or profound intellectual insight or
deep spiritual renewal.
But sooner or later we must return to our ordinary lives. As much as we
might like it, we cannot stay on the mountain top forever. Moses and
Jesus both discovered that there is nothing they could do to maintain
that “mountain top” experience at a constant level over the long haul.
They found themselves pulled rather abruptly back to their ordinary
lives by those who obviously did not experience the events in the same
inspirational way they had. And if Moses and Jesus could not sustain
their mountain top experiences, or pass them on to others, then we
should not be surprised when we cannot sustain ours.
So, what is the lesson for us? Must we simply resign ourselves to living
mundane lives filled with unexceptional experiences and everyday events?
Should we not even try to rise above our ordinary routines and reach for
mountain top experiences?
On the contrary, it seems that the examples of Moses and Jesus show
us the value, perhaps even the necessity, of spending some time on the
mountain top. We must simply approach these experiences with realism.
In other words, we cannot expect them to last forever. And we cannot
expect that everyone else shares our enthusiasm for the same experience.
We must simply appreciate them while we can and perhaps look back
to them for guidance in the future.
While the experiences of Moses and Jesus on the mountain may not have
produced immediate positive results, they have had priceless lasting
consequences. The Law revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai has guided
God’s people for generations. And the recognition of Jesus as God’s Son
as revealed on the mountain by his transfiguration is at the heart of the
Christian church.
Like the people of Israel and the disciples of Christ, we may not find
inspiration or renewal in the same things that others do, but we must not
judge them or dismiss them for what they are sharing, even if we are like
the Israelites and the disciples who did not understand the significance
of the moment. Rather, we should be happy that they have found
additional meaning in what has taken place.
So the next time you find yourself moving closer to God by a speaker or song or
by the beauty of God’s creation; the next time you come face-to-face with Jesus
in a personal encounter; the next time you feel the tug in meditation or prayer,
pause to give thanks to God for the gift you have been allowed to hold,
at least for a moment. Know that the moment itself may be fleeting,
but the experience on the mountain top will be with you always.
AMEN

Silence is kept for reflection.

HYMN OF THE DAY – Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies (ELW #553)

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: As God’s beloved children united in Christ, let us pray for the church,
the whole human community, and the well-being of the earth, our home.
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 Wallace Bornhuse and the
people of Redeemer Lutheran Church, London. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Revealing God, your Spirit sustains the church. Strengthen the faithful with
the revelation of Christ transfigured, that we may joyfully follow him in the way
of the cross. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Life-giving God, creation is full of your majesty. Nurture in us a deep respect
for the interdependence of all life, and make us wise and vigilant stewards of
your good earth. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Peacemaking God, the nations are in turmoil. We pray for an end to violent
conflict. Give wisdom to negotiators and sanctuary to refugees. Defend any
who are in danger. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Healing God, you desire wholeness for all people. Bring healing to any
who are experiencing illness, chronic pain, or mental anguish. Comfort the
dying and those who grieve. We pray especially for Beth, Jean, Mary Margaret,
Kristine, Karen, Emma, Cathy, Lene, Grethe, Lyra, Bud, and those others who
are in our hearts. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Holy God, in our worship we glimpse your glory, hear your voice,
and receive assurance of your love. Inspire all who prepare, lead,
and participate in worship to serve you with reverence and joy. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Merciful God, we pray for peace as war continues to rage in Ukraine and
in Israel and Gaza. 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: Transforming God, you bring life from death. We give thanks for the witness of
those who have died in faith, and we praise you for the hope we have in Christ,
our Morning Star. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Confident that the Holy Spirit receives our prayers and answers us,
we commend all for whom we pray to God’s loving-kindness made
known to us in Christ Jesus our 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: May the triune God, who has put a new song in your mouth and tuned your
heart for praise + bless you now and forever.
C: Amen.

SENDING HYMN – Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (ELW #834)

DISMISSAL
A: Go in peace. Do justice. Love mercy.
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)