After Pentecost 24A – November 8

Sunday, November 8, 2026
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost | Year A
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 | “We Will Serve”

Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 78)
One: Set your hope in God, who is worthy of our trust.
Many: We remember the glorious deeds of the Holy One.
One: Set your hope in God, who orders our days and redeems our lives.
Many: We rejoice in the wonders the Holy One has done.
One: Set your hope in God, who leads us.
Many: We recommit to the ways of the Holy One. Our hope is in God!

Invocation
Holy One, we come before you with praise and thanksgiving. We invite you to inhabit our praise as we honor your precious name. Bind us together and refresh us as a community with justice and righteousness overflowing like a stream. Open our minds and hearts to be receptive to your still speaking voice. Make yourself known among us. You are our God, and we are your people. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Wise and just God, we do not want to come before you with empty words and meaningless acts. We know that your love has the power to transform us with compassion. We declare that your truth can liberate us and renew us as liberators in the world. In the midst of a world too often guided by the pursuit of power, privilege, and prestige, soften our hearts. Help us reject the othering of our neighbors and your beloved. Help us reflect your goodness and good news through our lives, in word and deed. Amen.

Words of Grace
Beloved, when we turn toward the Holy One, we find the Holy One has turned toward us. The God of compassion and grace will meet you in your hopes for a new life, will bring strength and power in your struggle, and will release you from actions and attitudes of the past. Receive God’s forgiveness and invitation to embrace a new way going forward.

Invitation to Generosity
God has given us good and generous gifts out of abundant love. People do not face need because creation is insufficient. When we share the resources of creation, we proclaim our faith and trust that God provides more than enough for all of us to flourish. Let us give in faith and hope.

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
Loving God, accept our offerings as a testament to our love, faith, and hope. Magnify them for your glory and to meet the needs of the community. Expand our reach and glorify your name through our giving, O God. Amen.

Benediction
As you go from this time and gathering,
Rest in the covenant,
Choose love every day,
Sustain hope in action,
Serve the Holy One with love and honor,
And be a witness for the goodness of God in the land of the living. Amen.

We Will Serve: Service Prayers for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.