January 4th

Brunch Gathering

WELCOME AND LITURGY OF GATHERING 

Leader: Reading of Psalm 147:12-20 (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

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night

Hill and vale and tree and flower

Sun and moon and stars of light.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the church, that evermore

Lifteth holy hands above

Offering up on every shore

Her pure sacrifice of love.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best gift divine

To the world so freely given

For that great, great love of Thine

Peace on earth and joy in heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

Step By Step

Oh God, You are my God

And I will ever praise You

Oh God, You are my God

And, I will ever praise You

I will seek You in the morning

And I will learn to

Walk in Your ways

And step by step You'll lead me

And I will follow You all of my days

And I will follow You all of my days

And I will follow You all of my days

And step by step You'll lead me

And I will follow You all of my days

ANNOUNCEMENTS & 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.

Sermon Series. This new year we’ll walk through the book of Luke. More details may be found here. More details to come on seasonal small groups this winter. 

Annual Giving Statements - Address Updates. We are in need of any address updates to be sent to finance@indytrinity.org by January 11th in order to send out annual giving statements. Additionally, the last date for giving to apply to the 2025 tax year is December 31st. All checks dated in December will apply to the 2025 tax year.

LORD’S TABLE & FEASTING LITURGY

Leader: In threshold places, where endings meet beginnings,
we listen backwards as we move forward.

What can we learn from the years past –
from how evil played its cards,
or from relationships gained and lost?

ALL: We look back and lament the evil and immeasurable harm done across the country, as rights have been stripped away from people. We keep faithful watch this month, ready to follow Jesus into the margins. We continue to grieve the ways in which white supremacy and Christian nationalism have harmed us all. We lament the fractures in relationships throughout the land. 

Leader: Let us pray to the Lord, who is our refuge and stronghold. For the health and well-being of our nation and world, that all who are fearful and anxious may be at peace and free from worry: Lord, hear us,

ALL: Lord, graciously hear us.

Leader: What brought you deep delight, when everything was swirling?
To whom were you able to turn to and who challenged you to grow?

Individually and collectively,
none of us are the same.

For some of these changes we weep and for others we rejoice
but from each we carry something forward
– a feeling, a lesson, a memory, a challenge, a call to solidarity…

ALL: Collectively, we acknowledge a closing and an opening;
A fresh start that offers only as much meaning as we need from it.
Inviting us not to wage war on ourselves,
but just to pause,
pay attention to our longings and our pain,
and what we might learn from them about how we wish to live.

Leader: For those who live with deep longings and with constant pain: Lord, hear us,

ALL: Lord, graciously hear us.

Leader: A new year does not need to mean “a new you.”

You do not need to make demands of yourself
grounded in messages that are only meant
to make you feel inadequate or unlovable.

Your worth is ineffable,
that is a constant that carries from year to year.

ALL: We move gently with ourselves into 2026,
speaking instead words of possibility,
committing to that which calls us,
letting ourselves be lured by the Sacred
in the direction of our most powerful becoming.

Leader: For our homes and families, our school communities and young people, and all who need to hear new words of possibility in this new year: Lord, hear us,

ALL: Lord, graciously hear us.

Leader: Make only resolutions that will lead to more flourishing of life, yours and others.

Reject individualistic notions of success (or “failure”)
and channel your growing
in the directions
ALL: of what we can create
of what we can divest from
of what we can abolish
of what we must claim
of what we must fight
of what we can become.

Leader: For a blessing on our local community, that our neighborhoods may be places of trust and friendship, where all are known and cared for in the process of becoming:  Lord, hear us,

ALL: Lord, graciously hear us.

Leader: God of new beginnings, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, as we Gather with you and feast this day. 

ALL: We tell the story that God invites each of us into: Christ came to dwell among us; Christ lived to show us the way; Christ died to set us free from sin; Christ was raised to break the power of death and will come again to bring us the wholeness for which we long.

Leader: Where two or more of us are gathered, O Lord, there you have promised to be.

ALL: And here we are.

Leader: And so, here are you. Take joy, O King, in our feast. Nothing good and right and true will be lost forever. All good things will be restored. Feast and be reminded! 

ALL: Take joy, O King!

Leader: Now beloved, prepare your hearts and give yourself wholly to this celebration of joy, to the glad company of saints, to the comforting fellowship of the Spirit, and to the abiding presence of Christ who is seated among us both as our host and as our honored guest. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take seat, take feast, take delight!

ALL: Amen!

BRUNCH + CONVERSATION

A People Re-Membered: Out of Line

Take Delight! Play.

Brunch Conversation: 

• What’s a joyful/delightful moment you remember from your younger self? What’s a joyful/delightful moment you remember from your current self (in the last week or month)? 

• Reflect on that. What about that joy/delight/play helped you feel more human?

* Visual Description Card

*For additional discussion prompts visit the series page here.

THE BENEDICTION

Leader: The Lord be with you.

ALL: And also with you.

(Some liturgies adapted from lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com and enfleshed.com)

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!

January 

4th/New Year Brunch: Fishers

11th: Broad Ripple

18th: North/Carmel

25th: Midtown/Downtown

February

1st: Fishers

8th: Broad Ripple

15th: North/Carmel

22nd: Midtown/Downtown

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).