Sunday,  April 19, 2026
Third Sunday of Easter Year A
Luke 24:13-35 | "Going On"

Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 116)
One: We call upon the name of the Holy One who hears our cry and responds to our prayer. What shall we return to the Holy One for all the blessings we receive?
Many: We will call upon the name of the Holy One for as long as we live.
One: The Holy One has been our Companion in suffering and our Comforter in anguish. What shall we return to the Holy One for their presence among us?
Many: We will serve the Holy One and be companions and comforters for God's people.
One: The Holy One has given a new covenant of salvation, redemption, and restoration for the world. What shall we return to the Holy One for the gift of covenantal love?
Many: We will declare the goodness of God with praise and thanksgiving. Hallelujah! Bless the name of the Holy One!

Invocation
Living God, you are the fire that burns within us. You open our hearts to your presence, revealed in word and song, in hospitality and friendship, in sacrament and presence. Open our minds again so that we may recognize you when you meet us in unexpected moments. Let us encounter you in every phase and movement of worship that we might know you and love you more than before we gathered. And, may that love burn brightly like the sun cutting through the gloom of the storm to inspire us to go on with renewed hope and spirit. Amen.

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Spirit of the Living God, we ask you to meet us in those moments when we recognize that we have caused, through action or inaction, through words or silence, through participation or lack of participation, that we have caused or allow harm to take place. In those moments, allow our hearts to break in order to be mended with the burning fire of repentance and sharpening. In those moments, let our hearts cry, "what should we do?" In those moments, guide us to wisdom and discernment< Holy Spirit, so that we would not only be forgiven but gifted with the work of repair and restoration. Amen.

Words of Grace
Beloved, the Holy Spirit continues to be our present companion. When we seek them, the Spirit responds with wisdom, hope, and peace. Be encouraged that the Holy One awaits to meet us where we are in order to journey with us to where we could be for the glory of God and the good of the world.

Invitation to Generosity
1 Peter 1:21 tells us that, "Through [Jesus], you have come to trust in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God." Let us give glory to the Living God by demonstrating that trust and hope in the offering of gifts to meet the needs of our community and to manifest the love of God in us. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
Generous God, we pray that these gifts will bring glory to your name and bless your creation through good stewardship, Spirit-led discernment, and generous love. Amen. 

Benediction
As you go, may your heart burn
For the love of God to ignite throughout the world
Through acts—great and minute— of compassion, kindness, and community
Through sacrifices—great and minute—for justice, liberation, and restoration
Through commitments—great and minute—to bring good news to every moment, decision, and interaction.
Go on…enflamed with the hope of peace burning brightly from the heart.

Going On:  Service Prayers for the Third Sunday in Easter Year A was written by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of Christ.