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.

CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24, 2025.
St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Outline for Worship (with sermon)
Wednesday, December 24, 2025 – Christmas Eve

ELW Holy Communion Setting 4

PROCLAMATION – Isaiah 9:2-7
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. 5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the
garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child has
been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is
named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the
throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and
with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will do this.

BRIEF ORDER FOR CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
P: Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty
Saviour, Prince of Peace.
C: Amen.

P: Trusting in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, let us confess our sin.

Silence is kept for reflection.

P: Reconciling God,
C: we yearn for your presence to transform our grief, pain, and despair.
We confess that we have not always prepared room in our hearts for your
love; we have not always recognized your presence among us; we have
not always embraced your message of peace.
We cry out, weary with the burden of violence, oppression, and fear.
We confess our failure to make room for those seeking refuge; our
participation in violent systems that harm your innocent ones; our
reluctance to embody your good news.
Be born in us today and teach us to sing the joyful song of your salvation.
Amen.

P: God’s grace upon grace flows over you. ☩ Christ’s presence redeems the
whole creation. Your sins are forgiven. Let the earth rejoice and be glad!
C: Amen.

GATHERING HYMN – O Come, All Ye Faithful (ELW # 283)

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

PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray.
P: Almighty God, you made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true
Light. Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus’ presence and in
the last day wake to the brightness of his glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.

FIRST READING: Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to
renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that
are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope
and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and
purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

PSALM 96
1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless the name of the Lord;
proclaim God’s salvation from day to day.
3 Declare God’s glory among the nations
and God’s wonders among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised,
more to be feared than all gods.
5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols;
but you, O Lord, have made the heavens.
6 Majesty and magnificence are in your presence;
power and splendour are in your sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord honour and power.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the honour due the holy name;
bring offerings and enter the courts of the Lord.
9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
tremble before the Lord, all the earth.
10 Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is king!
The one who made the world so firm that it cannot be moved
will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it;
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy at your coming, O Lord
for you come to judge the earth.
13 You will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with your truth.

SECOND READING: Luke 2:1-7
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world
should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while
Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered.
4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of
David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family
of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and
who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to
deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in
bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them
in the inn.

HYMN – Away in a Manger (ELW # 278)

THIRD READING: Luke 2:8-14
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over
their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel
said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great
joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a
child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those
whom he favours!"

HYMN – Joy to the World (ELW #267)

FOURTH READING: Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said
to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has
taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they went
with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about
this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds
told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her
heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they
had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

HYMN - O Little Town of Bethlehem (ELW # 279)

SERMON
Luke 2:1-20
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

Christmas is here! Glorious, wonderful, magical Christmas is here! In front of
the altar is our beautiful carved crèche. I love to stand and look at it with wide
eyed wonder, imagining what it must have been like that first Christmas morning.
I am sure it was nothing like the beautiful images on Christmas cards, or in the
colourful stained-glassed windows found in many churches. Over the centuries
we have romanticised the birth of the Christ child. Jesus was born in a humble,
unadorned stable, plain and simple.
I have loved Christmas ever since I was a child. The magic in the air, the carols,
the Christmas tree lights and decorations. Then there is the opening of presents
Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, and the Christmas dinner with the family
around the dining room table. Sadly, for many people that is all that Christmas
is about, but there is so much more to this special day.
Of course, there is often a price to pay for all our overindulgence. Several years ago,
I read the results of a survey which found that the average person gained six
pounds of weight over the Christmas holiday. Being cooped up together for
more than one day eating too much and watching too much television is not
always a lot of fun, especially if you are the one doing most of the cooking
and cleaning up. Families often become short tempered and argumentative.
The same survey found, and I am not sure how they did their research,
that on Christmas day, the average family has five arguments.
For a lot of people, Christmas is just some form of escapism that lasts for
a few days, an escape from a dark and often gloomy winter. For these people,
Christmas is like a sparkler on a dark night. For a few minutes everything is
brilliant, but when it goes out, life is even darker than before.
Few lives were darker or more miserable than those of the first century
Palestinian shepherds. People made fun of them because they thought
shepherds were stupid and dirty. The religiously orthodox despised them
because they could not keep the detailed ceremonial law. If the shepherds came
into town from the fields, people would avoid them. Life was hard for shepherds.
They would spend whole nights huddled together on bleak hillsides, against the
often intense cold. It is not hard to imagine the shepherds in our Gospel lesson
huddled around a small fire in the middle of the night in the cold dark fields
outside of Bethlehem.
But for the group of shepherds in our Gospel lesson, suddenly the black
darkness was shattered by a blazing light. A messenger from God appeared to
those despised shepherds, and they were terrified. But an angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid; see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the
people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,
the Lord.” Those shepherds went to see for themselves, and they were the first
to see the baby Jesus, God’s own son.
What an extraordinary thing, that God chose poor outcasts to be the first to
come and see the baby Jesus. But then, maybe it wasn’t so extraordinary.
The Bible makes it clear that God has a special love and concern for the poor,
so much so that the Gospels tell us that unless we become poor ourselves,
we will not be able to see Jesus. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall
see God.” We are blessed when we become poor, when we put our trust in God,
when we do not trust in our own wealth, whatever that might be, or our own
achievements or our reputation. Matthew records Jesus saying, “Unless you
change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessed are you when you humble yourself and become like a child. Then you
too will see God. You too will be able to kneel down with the shepherds and
gaze upon the Christ child. Those shepherds were at the bottom of the
social ladder. They had no proud walls of respectability and achievement to
hide behind. They knew their need for God, and in their poverty of spirit, they were
the first to see the Christ child. Then “the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.”
For most of us it is often hard to admit our weaknesses, our need for God.
It hurts our pride. We would rather strengthen our image of success
and respectability. Often it is the shock of a loss, the breakdown of
a relationship, the loss of a job, the unrealized ambition, with a blow to
our pride, which opens a crack in our defenses through which God can
reach us, through which the light of the Gospel can shine, offering us
God’s forgiveness and renewal.
Some of us have been to the Holy Land, and have visited the Church of
the Nativity, one of the oldest churches in the world, which stands over the
site where tradition has it that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It is a huge and
splendid building, and yet the entrance into the church is less than four feet high.
No matter who you are, rich or poor, important or not, each person who
enters the church must bend down very low to get through the door.
I believe this is true for all of us wherever we are. If we want to see Jesus,
we too must bend low to get through the door. Jesus said we must become
poor in spirit to see him. Jesus said we must become like children to see him.
We must put away our pride and become small, like children, and approach
Jesus in trust and humility. Christmas is for children, for each one of us.
On this Holy night, in the year of our Lord 2025, we come again to celebrate
the birth of the Christ child, the Light of the world, who shines eternally and
triumphantly amidst the darkness. As we come to receive Jesus in bread
and wine, we bow our heads in humility, before this great and mighty wonder,
inviting Jesus into our hearts, so that he may be born in us again to be the
light and love of our lives.
May you have a truly joyful, meaningful, and blessed Christmas
AMEN

Silence is kept for reflection.

HYMN – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (ELW # 270)

NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
A: Empowered by the news of Christ’s birth, let us pray boldly for the church,
creation, and all who are in need.
A: Gathering God, you bring your people from every corner of the earth together
before the manger that you have made a throne. Unite the church in love as we
rejoice in the news of your coming. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Creating God, you brought forth the earth and all that is in it. Join our voices
with the roaring seas, the exulting fields, and the trees of the forest singing for
joy on this holy night. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Transforming God, the world trembles among violence and war. Empower
our hands, feet, and hearts with your Spirit to shatter the rod of the oppressor
and turn swords into ploughshares, especially in Ukraine, and in Israel and
Gaza. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Shepherding God, you lead us to your love in the face of our neighbour. Send
us into the world to find your Word made flesh in one another, especially those
who are sick or struggling. We pray for Beth, Jean, Mary Margaret, Kristine,
Karen, Emma, Cathy, Lene, Grethe, Lyra, Ahlan, and those others who are in
our hearts. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Nurturing God, you dwell with us in humble places. Sustain housing and
clothing ministries in this community, that all find shelter and warmth. We pray
especially for youth seeking safety and care. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Abiding God, you remain at the side of all the departed. Grant all who mourn
hope in the resurrection and peace in Christ Jesus. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: With the joy of Christ’s birth in our hearts, we commend our prayers to you, O
God, trusting in your boundless mercy and eternal love; through Jesus Christ,
our Saviour.
C: Amen.

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

SPECIAL MUSIC – Natalie Pratt (O’ Holy Night: Adolph Adam)

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.

FIFTH READING: John 1:1-5, 9-14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being
through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come
into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 9 The true light,
which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to
become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the
flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and
lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only
son, full of grace and truth.

LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES

CLOSING HYMN - Silent Night, Holy Night (ELW # 281)

BLESSING
P: The triune God, glorious Mystery, holy Incarnate One,
abiding Comforter, + bless you with endless grace, peace, and joy.
C: Amen.

DISMISSAL
A: Glory to God in the highest!
C: And peace to God’s people on earth!

A: Go in joy. Embody God’s redeeming grace.
C: Thanks be to God.