March 15th

Fourth Sunday of Lent

WELCOME AND LITURGY OF GATHERING 

Leader: Reading of Psalm 23 (FNV). 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

COMMUNITY CONFESSION & LENTEN CANDLE READING

Leader: As God’s beloved children, we will not hide our sins or remain silent, but confess them to the One who will restore us with goodness and mercy. We cry out as the psalmist did, “create in us pure hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.”

ALL: Beloved One, though you are as close as our own breath, still, we treat you as a distant stranger.

Forgive us for the ways we other you because we cannot bear the possibilities of recognizing you in our own flesh.

Leader: More comfortable with a god we cannot imagine than one who is queer, or detained, falling in love,

or just learning to walk, we deny the holy of our neighbors. We bury the Sacred in us.

ALL: Forgive us for believing the ones who tell us

there’s somewhere you’d rather be than here:

In these bodies.

On this land.

In our neighbors.

Leader: Great Liberator,

Mother of Life,

Gentle Spirit,

You dwell within.

You linger around.

You are always within reach.

ALL: That Love is so close,

That Justice is so near –

We can hardly believe,

But God, we desire to.

Leader: God rolls away everything that stands in our way - 

our past, our sin, our pain, our hesitation, and reshapes us into new people living in the Light. 

Snuff out the Lenten candle

ALL: Thanks be to God, we are forgiven! 

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

A People Re-Membered: In the Sorrow

Dress Rehearsal  

Luke 12.35

Discussion/Further Wonderings:

• What is Jesus revealing to you about entering sorrow?

• In this week’s text/story, where might the Spirit be inviting us into a space for play amidst the sorrow? 

• How are you losing and finding yourself as you step into the text/story this week? What has been forgotten? What are you being called to re-member?

• How might God be inviting you/us to be fully human in this season? How might that overflow to those around you/us? How does this week’s text/story point toward being a people of God?

* Description Card

*Womanism and Womanist Theology Resource Paper

*For additional discussion prompts visit the series page here.

PRAYER OF THE PEOPLE & LORD’S TABLE LITURGY

Leader: Benevolent God, we come before you at the six year anniversary of our lives altered by a pandemic. One would think collective learning and experience would have radically shaped us toward communal flourishing, but the world continues to be filled with all kinds of plagues. So we lift our prayers alongside aching hearts across the world. 

ALL: For all that we grieve and for the uncertainties that continue to plague our hearts and minds, we pray. 

Leader: For those around the world caught in warring, kidnappings, and deadly clashes,

ALL: We lift prayers for those who continue to face the unimaginable and suffer much loss.

Leader: For those detained by ICE,

ALL: Spirit break our siblings free!

Leader: For neighbors who are unhoused and for whom affordable housing is being stripped away, 

ALL: We pray for new doors and spaces to open that provide safe and stable options.
Leader: Lord, we give thanks for women all over the globe

ALL: who have come before us, who have used their skills and voices to show us a better way, giving of themselves for the good of the world. 

Leader: For our LGBTQ+ neighbors who are recipients of hate because of who they are in their bodies, targeted and put in harm’s way by unjust legislation, and are often unsafe in our community and world.

ALL: Lord, help us to affirm the fullness of who you have created each one of us to be and show us how to embody love with creativity, imagination, and great care as we put our bodies on the line, standing in solidarity with each sibling. 

Leader: For our neighbors who are seen as a threat because of the color of their skin, are targets of police brutality, and remain in danger because of the ongoing silencing of their experiences. 

ALL: Lord, confront our biases, help us to see and repent of the racism that lives within each of us, move us to action, and heal our lives.

Leader: For our neighbors who are disabled and ignored in this world intoxicated with ableism. 

ALL: Lord, help us to see one another and repent of this evil that lives within each of us, move us to advocacy, and bring wholeness in our communities. 

Leader: For the elected officials in our local and federal government. 

ALL: May the Holy Spirit strike with wisdom so that those who wish to wield power over are brought to humility, to act with integrity and the whole of creation’s best interest in mind.

Leader: We lift prayers for your Kin(g)dom, Lord. 

ALL: For all whom the sun touches, for all who breathe the air, for all whose hearts beat, for all things of your creation. Through the shadows of these days, may we enflesh the love of Christ so that the world might experience you.

Leader: As we remember God’s constant presence with us, we choose to respond - to lean in, to worship. As we remember God’s persistence in offering grace to us, and celebrate the joy of following Jesus, we speak of the mystery we know as faith:

ALL: Christ died for all our sins; Christ was raised for all; Christ comes, to lead us into God’s presence. Lord, we ask that as we partake of the bread and the cup, your Holy Spirit bless these gifts and transform us, your gathered people, to faithfully love you and our neighbors with all our being.

Leader: Let us commune at the table of the Lord; it is open to all who seek life with God. 

*communion elements are alcohol and 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.

Civic Action Group Meeting - Join us for our next Civic Action Group (CAG) meeting on Sunday, March 22nd, at 11:30 AM, right after the gathering. We’ll meet in person at CoHatch and virtually via Zoom for those joining remotely. Want to stay connected? Sign up for the CAG info list by filling out this info form! Contact joel@indytrinity.org with questions.

Sermon Series. The sermon series and resources for our new year series are posted online at www.indytrinity.org/sermon-series. In conjunction with the sermon series, Trinity Seasonal Small Groups in the winter will form around All The Black Girls Are Activists: A Fourth Wave Womanist Pursuit of Dreams as Radical Resistance by ebonyjanice. The free audio book (and e-book) is available on Hoopla and Libby. Please contact the group host for more details and to generally RSVP. You are welcome to join the group that fits your schedule/needs. You are not bound by geographical location/parish. 

Mondays (every other) 5:45-7:15pm - Broad Ripple starting January 26th

Mondays 12-1pm - Fishers/Zoom starting February 9th

Wednesdays 7-9pm - Midtown/Downtown starting February 4th

Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm - Queer Affinity starting February 5th

Lent resources, along with Trinity’s Guide to Lent, can be found at the bottom of the sermon series page. 

Holy Week. We will make our way through Holy Week together by gathering virtually in the morning to center ourselves as we approach the end of the Lenten season the days leading to Christ's crucifixion (March 30 - April 3) . Each morning we will be participating in morning prayers, reflecting on art around this season, and listening to music that Trinity Church is sharing throughout this season. Join us weekday mornings at 7am on Zoom  or catch up throughout the day on FB or YouTube. Questions? email joel@indytrinity.org.

On April 3rd, join us for our Good Friday service at COhatch Broad Ripple at 6:30 p.m.  Good Friday marks the betrayal of Jesus and his death at the hands of the state.  In this time we will walk with Jesus in his last days on the way to the cross. Join us at COhatch in the "Big Room" as we continue to make our way through Holy Week.  If you aren't able to join us in person, you may also join via Zoom. Contact joel@indytrinity.org with any questions.

Save the Dates! Summer Retreats. Mark your calendars for Friday, May 29th through Sunday, May 31st AND Friday, August 28th through Sunday, August 30th. More details to come. 

THE BENEDICTION

Leader: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us,

ALL: wherever he may send us.

Leader: May God guide us through the wilderness,

ALL: protect us through the storm.

Leader: May the Spirit bring us home rejoicing,

ALL: at the wonders she has shown us.

Leader: May Christ bring us home rejoicing, gathering once again. Go in peace!

(Some liturgies adapted from lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com and enfleshed.com - Rev. M Barclay)

Remain in the Gathering space for general connection and prayer.

GATHERING RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

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. 

Health Guidelines. Gatherings can look differently according to the needs of our leaders and community if health concerns take effect. 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. If you are experiencing fever, coughs, or other clear signs of illness, please remain home and join the Gathering via Zoom. If your symptoms are not highly contagious or you are unsure about exposing others, please wear a mask. Specifically, if you have been exposed to or have symptoms of Covid-19 or the Flu, you can follow the guidelines from the CDC 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!

March

1st: Fishers

8th: Broad Ripple

15th: North/Carmel

22nd: Midtown/Downtown

29th: Fishers

April

5th/Easter: Broad Ripple

12th: North/Carmel

19th: Midtown/Downtown

26th: Fishers

First Nations Version of Psalms. We understand that the Spirit has no gender. While the FNV does use the word “Grandfather” for the Great Spirit, and we at Trinity might more naturally gravitate toward a feminine or gender-inclusive term for the Spirit, we have chosen to read from this version to open ourselves to the diverse humanlike depictions of Creator and hear these sacred texts in new ways. No translation is perfect. If you’d like to read what the translators of the FNV have to say about their choice regarding gender and the Great Spirit, you are welcome to read the excerpt at the front of this Trinity Gathering copy (it is marked).