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.

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, JANUARY 25, 2026.

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Outline for Worship (with sermon)
Sunday, January 25, 2026 – Third Sunday after Epiphany
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 - Will You Come and Follow Me (ELW #798)

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: Lord God, your lovingkindness always goes before us and follows
after us. Summon us into your light, and direct our steps in the ways
of goodness that come through the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ,
our Saviour and Lord.
Amen

WORD

FIRST READING: Isaiah 9:1-4
1 But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former
time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land
beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness
on them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have
increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke of their burden,
and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have
broken as on the day of Midian.

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

PSALM 27: 1, 4-9
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
4 One thing I ask of the Lord; one thing I seek;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life;
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek God in the temple.
5 For in the day of trouble God will give me shelter,
hide me in the hidden places of the sanctuary, and raise me high upon a rock.
6 Even now my head is lifted up above my enemies who surround me.
Therefore I will offer sacrifice in the sanctuary, sacrifices of rejoicing;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice, O Lord, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
8 My heart speaks your message – “Seek my face.”
Your face, O Lord, I will seek.
9 Hide not your face from me, turn not away from your servant in anger.
Cast me not away – you have been my helper; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation.

SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.
11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels
among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says,
"I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas,"
or "I belong to Christ." 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified
for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that
I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can
say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household
of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with
eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of 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 4:12-23
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory
of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet
Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by
the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles 16 the people who sat in
darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and
shadow of death light has dawned." 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 18 As he walked by the
Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. 19 And he said
to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." 20 Immediately they left
their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers,
James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee,
mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and
their father, and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing
every disease and every sickness among the people.

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

SERMON
Matthew 4:12-23
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

Four fishermen who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John had no idea what Jesus was calling them to.
They knew what and who they were leaving behind, but they had no idea
where they were going. I often wonder what the other fishermen thought
when Peter and Andrew walked off leaving their nets, or what poor
Zebedee thought when two of his sons walked off and left him and
his livelihood behind. Who was this Jesus person anyway?
We have the advantage of knowing what the future held for these four
followers of Jesus. We know about the joys and wonders that were in store
for them. We know what they will see, and the things they will experience,
all the things they never could have imagined. They saw miraculous healings.
Was it worth leaving everything behind in order to see a paralyzed man walk
away, or see a little girl raised from the dead? We know they heard intriguing
parables that sometimes took a lot of thought in order to really understand them.
What would we be willing to give up in order to hear Jesus say to us, “To you it
has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven?” What would
that kind of spiritual insight be worth to you and to me? What kind of cut in our
pay would we be willing to take in order to see the power, intensity, and energy
of the transfiguration as Peter, James, and John saw it? Responding to Jesus’
call opened up for these four men a spiritual journey that they never could have
made on their own.
What do you think the response to Jesus’ call would have been if they
had known everything the future held for them as followers of Jesus?
Would they have considered the miracles, the parables, and the companionship
of Jesus worth the cost? At times, accepting Jesus’ call put them in great
danger. John the Baptist had just been arrested by Herod when they were
called by Jesus. Did they realize that danger lurked behind the scenes in
Jesus’ call? Would these four fishermen have responded so readily if they
had known about the Garden of Gethsemane or the crucifixion that was going
to happen in only three years? What would James have done if he knew the
day he answered Jesus’ call that Herod would also have him beheaded?
The way Matthew describes this call scene in our Gospel lesson this morning,
not one of the four even hesitated for a second. If you remember last Sunday’s
lesson from the Gospel of John, the first disciples took some time to respond
to Jesus. Remember, John the Baptist announced boldly who Jesus is. The
would-be disciples have a chance to think it over. Still, they have no idea of
what lies ahead for them as a disciple of Jesus. The way Matthew presents
Jesus’ call, we are not even sure if these four men even know who Jesus is.
The emphasis in Matthew’s Gospel is on how much we do not know when we
respond to Jesus’ call. Matthew seems to want us to know that we are taking
a leap of faith when we respond to Jesus’ call. Some of us might like John’s
Gospel a little better. We first receive some assurance of who Jesus is,
and then we can take some time to decide. The emphasis in John’s Gospel
is important. We do not want to follow blindly. We need John’s emphasis on
taking some time to think things through. Yet Matthew is also right. No matter
how much we study, or how carefully we make our decision to follow Jesus,
we will never know what lies ahead of us when we accept Jesus’ call to follow him.
According to Matthew, not only do these four men leave quickly when Jesus calls
them, but they leave everything behind. Even though fishing was hard work,
it was their livelihood. They had invested time in learning the trade, acquiring
fishing rights, purchasing boats and equipment. A man did not become a
successful commercial fisherman overnight. Both times Jesus called the
new disciples they were doing something important. Peter and Andrew had
just cast their net into the sea. Apparently, they did not even wait to pull the
net in before they left to answer Jesus’ call to follow him. Matthew said they
responded immediately. James and John were mending their nets when
Jesus called them to follow him. Again, they too left immediately what they
were doing to follow Jesus. Before Jesus walked by it was life as usual for the
four fishermen. After Jesus walked by their lives would never be the same.
We do not know what the four disciples’ thoughts were when they walked
away from their lives as fishermen to follow Jesus, but we do know some
of the things about what Matthew thought of Jesus’ mission. Jesus came
to bring light to those who sat in the darkness. Part of that darkness was
political oppression. Isaiah had talked about the darkness caused by the
Assyrian domination of these disciples’ ancestors. Now it was the Roman
army oppressing the Jewish people. Part of the darkness was hopelessness.
Part of the darkness was illness. Part of the darkness was spiritual depression
and anguish. Jesus came to bring light into the darkness. Jesus brought a sample
of what it will be like to be in God’s full presence, to experience true justice
and fairness where everyone has enough to live in joy. In Jesus, God has
reached into our world to bring hope. According to Matthew, it is worth letting
go of our fishing nets and leaving our old life behind in order to be a part of
Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus continues to call disciples. We are not always called to leave our jobs
or our personal security to follow Jesus. Many people do leave high-paying
jobs to do ministry that pays a fraction of what their old job paid. Regardless
of our situation or nature of our call, we are all called to let go of our nets and
follow Jesus.
Sometimes the nets we let go of are our jobs and careers, but we hold on
tightly to other nets. I am not sure what to say about James and John leaving
their father in the boat. Neglecting your family for the work of the church is not
the best decision. Taking care of our families can certainly be our ministry.
Other nets we hold on to is a feeling of inadequacy. “I can’t do that; I can’t
chair a committee; I would not know where to begin.” It is true that we should
seek out where our talents can best serve others, but God’s call can stretch
us in ways we had not expected. Another net we hold on to is a bad
experience from our past. We tried serving in a way that did not go well.
We experienced frustration and a sense of failure. We vowed never to try
that again. Sometimes the mistakes and failures of the past are the building
blocks of our later successes. God can work through the pain of past
experiences to bring real success to our next attempt.
When we let go of our nets, we can carry on the ministry of Jesus in a number
of different ways. Verse 23 of our Gospel lesson this morning describes
Jesus’ ministry as teaching, proclaiming, and curing. We teach through the
example of how we live our lives as well as in structured educational settings.
We also teach in quiet informal conversations among family and friends.
We proclaim when we share our faith with those around us and share our
values even though they are not the same as the world’s values. We do not
let ourselves be ruled by money, success, or prestige. We resist violence,
greed, and exploitation. We help cure when we take care of another in times
of sickness, grief, or trouble. We help cure when we pray for someone.
We do not always know what will happen when we respond to God’s call.
We know that God is with us and that God will work through our ministries,
whatever they might be, even with our own shortcomings and possible
incomplete success. When God calls us, let us drop our nets and respond.
Let us shine the light of God’s kingdom of grace and love into the darkness
of the world.
AMEN

Silence is kept for reflection.

HYMN OF THE DAY – You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore (ELW #817)

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 Synod Bishop
Carla Blakley. Empower her with your wisdom to lead the church. We also pray
for our National Bishop Larry Kochendorfer and the National ELCIC Office and
Support Staff. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Holy One, you entrust the message of the cross and the mission of the
gospel to the church in every land. Guide the newly baptized and deepen the
faith of all who follow Christ. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Holy Creator, you lavish creation with splendour, and we praise you for the
gift of life. Teach us to live as wise stewards, sharing the earth’s resources with
all inhabitants of this garden planet. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Holy Judge, your power is love, and you judge the nations by the measure of
Christ. Free any who are unjustly accused or wrongly condemned. We pray for
those in authority that they may do justice. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Holy Lover, you care for vulnerable young children, frail elders, and any who
are sick. We pray especially for Beth, Jean, Mary Margaret, Kristine, Karen,
Emma, Cathy, Lene, Grethe, Lyra, Bud, and those others who are in our hearts.
We pray for all who are affected by natural disasters. Provide for their needs
and relieve their suffering. Merciful God,
C: receive our prayer.

A: Holy Giver, you gather, forgive, and shape us as disciples of Christ. Nurture
in us a spirit of patience and respect, that we may love one another as you love
us. 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: Holy Saviour, you free us from the power of death. Lead and guide us until
we come at last into the communion of all your saints in light. 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 – I Love to Tell the Story (ELW #661)

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)