December 7th

Second Sunday of Advent

WELCOME AND LITURGY OF GATHERING

Leader: **Reading of Psalm 72.1-7, 18-19 (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

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee,
O Israel!

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the Law
In cloud and majesty and awe. [Refrain]

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. [Refrain]

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. [Refrain]

Go Tell it on the Mountain 

Chorus:

Go tell it on the mountain 

Over the hills and everywhere 

Go tell it on the mountain 

That Jesus Christ is born 

While angels kept their watching 

O’er silent flocks by night 

Behold throughout the heavens 

There shone a Holy light

[Chorus]

The shepherds feared and trembled 

When, lo! Above the earth 

Rang out the angel chorus 

That hailed our Savior’s birth

[Chorus]

Down in a lowly manger

Our humble Christ was born

And brought us all salvation

That blessed Christmas morn

[Chorus]

COMMUNITY CONFESSION

Leader: Today marks the second Sunday of Advent, the season in which we anticipate celebrating the birth of Jesus. For unto us, a child is born - the presence of God With Us -  will show us the way.  This Advent, we pause. We breathe. We pray. We dig deep. We reach out. We rise up. We remember. We vision. We sit with the pain. We stay with the trouble. We wait, expectant. We light candles. We labor. We open to You, and to one another, and to the Sacred Mystery that is Emmanuel, God-With-Us, Love Incarnate, Divinity Enfleshed.

Reading - Matthew 3:1-6 (FNV)

Prayer & Candle Lighting: The Peace of God-With-Us does not come as law and order, or enforcement and control. Peace cannot be imposed from on high. Peace cannot be commanded. The Peace of God-With-Us is chaotic, wild, unruly, unpredictable. The Peace of God-With-Us is collective, liberating us from deadly complicity. Peace is gestating in darkness; it comes unexpectedly. Peace invites our expectation, and demands our participation. Prepare the way, for peace with justice. May Peace be birthed among, within, and through us, this Advent. 

ALL: Always present God, forgive us, not for the ways in which we may doubt, but for how we show that doubt in self-absorbed lives. Open our eyes to your presence with us, so we may live lives of greater mercy and love, of faith and peace. 

Leader: Friends, this is good news: out of deep love for us, God refines our faith, forming us more and more into God’s image. 

ALL: Thanks be to God! We will embrace the presence of God as it refines us through love and moves us toward peace! 

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.

ADVENT REFLECTION

Resilient Advent - A Shoot, A Branch - Enduring

Romans 15.4-13 (FNV)

-Reread the text for the week. Where does resilience show up? 

-Consider the Advent theme for this week. How are you or might you need to experience hope, faith/peace, joy, love, or Christ this week?

-In what ways might you/we need to make space to receive the healing gift of God coming to dwell with us?

-As Advent sets the pattern for the year ahead - as the Church - how are you being empowered for the journey ahead?

-In new or old ways, how might you celebrate Jesus’ birth this year?

*For additional discussion prompts visit the series page here.

LORD’S TABLE LITURGY

Leader: As we draw closer to the celebration of his birth, as we long to follow Jesus beyond Bethlehem,

we proclaim that mystery we call faith:

ALL: Christ died, to scatter the arrogance of death;Christ was raised, picking up resurrection and carrying it into the new dawn; Christ will return, as your love stretches to the end of time.

Leader: Life takes place here and now, as you, Holy One, pour out your Spirit upon those gathered around the Table, and on the gifts prepared for the meal.

ALL: The bread which is broken, not only feeds us, but gives us the compassion to hear the voices of those crying out in despair and fear. The cup of grace touches us so we will not douse the Spirit, but be voices of justice, repairers of poverty's potholes, lock-pickers of addiction's cells, weavers of garments of kindness.

Leader: The Table of the Lord is open for all who put their faith in 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.

Light of the World

The world waits for a miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel
A child prays for peace on Earth
And she's calling out from a sea of hurt
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

And can you hear the angels singing

Glory to the light of the world
Glory, the light of the world is here

The drought breaks with the tears of a mother
A baby's cry is the sound of love
Come down, come down, Emmanuel
He is the song for the suffering
He is Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come
He has come, Emmanuel

Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
For all who wait
For all who hunger
For all who've prayed
For all who wonder
Behold your King
Behold Messiah
Emmanuel, Emmanuel

Glo-glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Behold your King
Behold Messiah
Emmanuel, Emmanuel

The world waits for the miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope
Oh come, oh come Emmanuel

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Advent. The Advent season is here! You may access the Advent series page here, along with other resources. 

Advent Morning Prayer. Each weekday morning during Advent we will be participating in the morning prayers reflecting on poems and writings of familiar and new authors, 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 Facebook or YouTube. Questions? email joel@indytrinity.org

Holiday Schedule.

• Ugly Christmas Sweater/PJ Sunday - December 14th

• Christmas Eve Gathering @ 5:30pm

• NO Gathering Sunday, December 28th - enjoy gathering with friends and family

• January 4th - Brunch Gathering

Please join the Youth Group in collecting food items and funding to support IYG's food pantry. This is an ongoing need that IYG has, but with the lack of SNAP benefits, there is a higher need than the typical season. We will run the food drive through Christmas, no matter the status of SNAP benefits and encourage folks to keep IYG in their thoughts during their regular grocery shopping! Bring items to the building or send funds for the youth group to shop via Venmo @britney-yount.

THE BENEDICTION

Leader: We will go now, as faithful people, so others might know God.

ALL: We will seek to invite others into this community of grace.

Leader: We will go now, as seeds of justice, so others might know Jesus.

ALL: We will seek to welcome all who have been rejected by the world.

Leader: We will go now, to be lights of hope, so others might know the Spirit.

ALL: We will seek to illuminate the shadows of brokenness with peace and life.

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

Remain in the Gathering space for general connection and prayer.

GATHERING RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

**Throughout Advent we are introducing the First Nations Version of Psalms in our liturgy. 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). 

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!

December

7th: Broad Ripple

14th: North/Carmel

21st: Midtown/Downtown

24th/Christmas Eve: Leadership Team

28th: No Gathering

January 

4th/New Year Brunch: Fishers

11th: Broad Ripple

18th: North/Carmel

25th: Midtown/Downtown

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 have experienced fever, coughs, or other clear signs of illness in the last 48 hours, 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.