April 28, 2024
WELCOME AND LITURGY OF GATHERING
Leader: Reading of Psalm 22.25-31. This is the word of the Lord.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
Trinity is fostering a haven of belonging where wanderers and wonderers
gather to discover and embody the love of Jesus in the world.
COMMUNAL SINGING
Beautiful Savior
Beautiful Savior!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine.
Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands
Robed in the blooming garb of spring
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer
Who makes the woeful heart to sing
Fairest Lord Jesus
Ruler of all nature
O Thou of God and man the Son
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.
Praise Him
Praise him, praise him,
praise him in the morning,
praise him in the noontime.
Praise him, praise him,
praise him when the sun goes down.
Love him…
Thank him…
Serve him…
Praise him…
COMMUNITY CONFESSION
Leader: We pray, declaring that individualism is destructive, so:
ALL: Send greed and selfishness away.
Leader: That learned refusal to acknowledge
your own need for help –
ALL: let it be gone as well.
Leader: When possible,
counter all impulses towards privatized survival
with acts of love – collective and expansive –
with caring for others and accepting care.
ALL: Remember we need each other.
Remember the needs of your neighbors (literal and metaphorical).
Remember the vulnerable.
Remember, we are in this together, even when we don’t act like it.
Leader: People depend on your choices –
you depend on the choices of others.
This, a Sacred and terrible truth woven into our flesh.
ALL: So let this time be an opening
to all the sources of connection we have lost in this era of
pushing-down,
pushing-through,
pushing-away,
and pushing-the-pace.
Leader: Let all that is soft, all that is slow, all that is gentle,
all that is kind, all that is care-ful,
be welcome home in each of us.
ALL: We have such creative, powerful, generous and brave capacities within us.
We can choose to do things differently, to be different.
BLESSING AND PASSING THE PEACE
Adults: The Lord be with you!
Children and Kids Ministry Leader: And also with you!
During this time we greet one another, recognizing that we are all a part of the body, as PreK-5th grade children are led to their ministry space. Younger children and youth remain, and are welcome, in the Gathering. Materials for toddlers are available and we understand that their presence means they will be heard, no need to worry about their vocal contributions.
SERMON NOTES
Be Known - Acts 8.26-40 (NRSV)
First reading: Attend to your imagination, noting what sounds, smells, or images arise as you hear the passage. Allow yourself to enter the story.
Second reading: What does it mean to have this text included in Scripture? How does it affect your/our understanding of God? Hold those (until later), but ask: What questions about the text do I have?
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Third Reading: As you reflect on this story, what feelings are stirred in you…what do you feel in your body, where? (small group discussion)
Final Reading: What wonderings do you have? What do our hearts notice as good news - of how this story speaks to being known? (large group discussion)
*For additional discussion prompts visit the series page here.
LORD’S TABLE LITURGY
Leader: Here at the table, we come before you, Lord God, and we remember Jesus’ work and words so we might live according to his ways and proclaim the mystery revealed in faith:
ALL: Living, Christ showed us how to live; dying, Christ showed us how to trust; raised, Christ revealed resurrection hope for all; now and always, Christ is with us.
Leader: The table of the Lord is open for all who seek a life with Christ.
*communion elements are gluten free, not allergen free
RESPONSE & OFFERING OF WORSHIP
The Offering Basket
Prayer requests may be posted in the Zoom chat (Zoom participants) or written and placed in the offering basket.
Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful
Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful
Oh, Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
For when Your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
Oh, Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
For when Your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me
I wanna to take Your word and shine it all around
But first help me to just to live it, Lord
And when I'm doing well
Help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to You
Oh, Lord, please light the fire
That once burnt bright and clear
Replace the lamp of my first love
That burns with holy fear
I wanna take Your word
And shine it all around
But first, help me just to live it, Lord
And when I'm doing well
Help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to You
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Practices edited. We’ve edited our practices to more fully reflect who we are. We’ve added the practices of rest and receiving. As a reminder, Trinity believes the values and beliefs we hold are best lived out in practice as we embody our mission and move toward our vision.
Our sermon series page is posted. Check it out to see where we’re headed.
Baptism and Family Covenants. We plan to hold baptisms and family covenants on Sunday, June 2nd as a part of the Gathering. If you are interested in either or have questions, please contact Britney Yount at britney@indytrinity.org.
Equity Funds. Rolling submissions for 2023 Equity Funds will be accepted in phases: through May 7th and then again through November 5th. This form is to be used to submit proposals and taken to Community Conversations scheduled for May 14th and November 12th. After those conversations, more solidified proposals (discerned through the larger group conversation) will then be taken to the Leadership Team for final disbursement requests. We ask that you use this form to prepare for presenting at a Community Conversation or if you are unable to attend those Equity Funds conversations the proposal will be taken to the group in your absence. Please refer to your emails for additional information. If you didn’t receive an email and would like to be on the list, please send an email to contact@indytrinity.org.
Special Gathering on Sunday, June 30th. Mark your calendars as we prepare for a special Gathering to include the Irvington Walk and Talk with Sampson Levingston at Through2Eyes, Sunday, June 30th. More details to come! Rain date is scheduled for Sunday, August 25th.
THE BENEDICTION
Leader: Let us go from here with the confidence that God can, indeed, make all things new.
Wherever evil and oppression declare their power,
ALL: may we, with even more boldness, proclaim the power of the living God in us.
Leader: The Creator of all that is,
ALL: The risen Christ who brings life out of destruction,
And the spirit, creative and surprising,
Leader: they go with us, today and always.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
Let us go in peace. Amen.
(Some liturgies adapted from lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com and enfleshed.com)
COMMUNAL CONNECTION
Remain in the space or on the Zoom for general connection and prayer.
Guide and Service Dog Training. As we welcome Guide/Service Dogs at Gatherings, please familiarize yourself with resources under on these two websites https://www.guidedogs.com/resources/blindness-and-guide-dog-etiquette and https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/best-practices-when-around-a-service-dog/ and discuss main points with those in your household. If you or anyone in your household has severe allergies or any fear of dogs, etc. please contact us (contact@indytrinity.org) so we can do our best to keep Gathering spaces welcoming for all.
Covid Guidelines: We are in a season of preparing for possible gathering changes due to the resurgence of Covid. Gatherings may look a little different according to the needs of our leaders if Covid affects them or their teams. We ask that everyone remain flexible if and/or when this is the case. If a gathering is going to be virtual, we will send an email by 8am on Sunday, or earlier. We are also asking that those who have tested positive or develop symptoms not attend the gathering in person, but join online via Zoom. If you have been exposed, you can follow the guidelines from the CDC by using this calculator to determine what are your best precautions to take.
Land Acknowledgement. We acknowledge that the land on which we gather for worship was stolen from Native peoples, who were driven out of the area and of their native lands by genocide, force (through broken treaties and laws imposed upon their nation), and systematic disposession. The Myaamiaki, Kaskaskia, and Kickapoo peoples* and their sovereign Nations have cared for, and are deeply a part of, this land - past, present, and future. (ref: Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, Trinity Church)
Gathering Hosting Schedule. As an act of service and care, please join staff, leaders, and others from your parish in hosting Sunday Gatherings. These are great times to connect and welcome others to converse while serving as well. Arrival at 9:45am is great, 9:30am is super helpful for assisting with audio equipment and/or indoor set up. Cleaning up on the back end should only take 10-15 minutes. The hosting checklist is in the Trinity office. Thank you!
April
7th: Fishers
14th: Midtown/Downtown
21st: Broad Ripple
28th: North/Carmel
May
5th: Fishers
12th: Midtown/Downtown
19th: Broad Ripple
26th (Brunch): North/Carmel