April 21, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

April 21, 2024

Worship live on Sundays in person at 11:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.

PRELUDE
led by Dana

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
adapted from Proverbs 1:2-7
Leader: We gather today to learn about wisdom and instruction,
   for understanding words of insight.
People: We gather today to gain instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity.
Leader: We gather today to teach shrewdness to the simple,
   knowledge and prudence to the young.
People: Let the wise also hear and gain in learning,
   and the discerning acquire skill.
Leader: To understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.
People: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

UNISON PRAYER
Almighty Father, You are immortal, invisible, and wise! Lord Jesus, You are the wisdom of God! Holy Spirit, You fill us with truth and love! Father, Son, and Spirit, open our eyes to Your truth; open our ears to Your wisdom; open our mouths to glorify Your name. Amen.

* IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, GOD ONLY WISE
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish — but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render, O help us to see
’tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee.

Covenant Hymnal, #10

NEW TESTAMENT LESSON: Jo Zancanaro
1 Corinthians 2:1-16

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. ²For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ³And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. ⁴My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

⁶Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. ⁷But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory ⁸and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love Him”—

¹⁰God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. ¹²Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. ¹³And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

¹⁴Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

¹⁶“For who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

* GOSPEL LESSON: Jo Zancanaro
Matthew 7:24-26

“Everyone, then, who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

* GOD OF GRACE AND MYSTERY
God of grace and mystery
From your fullness overflows
More than we can ever hold
Fill us with a melody
Rising up to greet the dawn
Joining in creation’s song
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy

God of hospitality
Here within the world you make
Every creature finds its place
As we hear your symphony
Call us now to join the dance
Held and led within your hands
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy

God creating all we see
All that lives beyond our gaze
Fill the earth with breath and praise
Call us into harmony
Teach us how to join with you
Ever making all things new
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy

CHILDREN’S MOMENT

Children 6 and under are dismissed to Children’s Church in the upstairs lounge. Parents can pick up their children in the lounge after the service.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
Acts 17:22-32
The Wisdom of God
Pastor Ryan

REJOICE, THE LORD IS KING!
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Our Savior, Jesus, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His Kingdom cannot fail,
He rules both earth and heav’n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope!
For Christ the Judge shall come
To gather all His saints
To their eternal home:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Covenant Hymnal, #271

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden; Messian Burgos; Frank Coszach; Vira Coszach; Art & Rosa Hamilton; Trevor Hanks; Tatiana Randall; Sara Rosado; Mary Smith; Phillip, son of Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Bonnie & Eric Sparrman, serving in Sweden; Carlos & Karen Feijoo, serving in Ecuador

THE LORD’S PRAYER:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

GIVING OF OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle^® to: giving@ravenscov.org

OFFERTORY
Allegretto
Johann Ernst Rembt
led by Cynthia

* DOXOLOGY & PRAYER
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

* WE BELIEVE IN THE NAME
We believe in the saving power
In the saving power
Of the name
His name is justice
A mighty fortress
A balm for the weary
Our refuge and our strength
His name is power
Our strong deliverer
We believe in Jesus’ name
We believe in the name
We believe in the healing power
In the healing power
Of the name
What’s His Name
Jesus

* BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God

POSTLUDE
Andante
Gustav Merkel
led by Cynthia

INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.

Please wear a nametag
We’ve had a number of visitors and new attendees lately, and it’s very important that we not only welcome them warmly to our church but also allow them to attach a name to a face. We’re asking everyone to return to our old practice of wearing nametags on Sunday morning. Blank nametags and Sharpies will be available both in the narthex and in the sanctuary.

Central Conference Annual Meeting delegates wanted
The Central Conference, our local region within the Evangelical Covenant Church that encompasses Illinois, Wisconsin, northern Indiana, eastern Missouri, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, will hold its Annual Meeting on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at Batavia Covenant Church in west suburban Batavia. If you are a member of Ravenswood Covenant and are interested in being a delegate from our church to this annual celebration and business meeting of our conference, please contact Pastor Ryan or Gregory Sager as soon as possible.

All delegate costs (registration fee, mileage, meals) will be reimbursed by the church.

Wedding shower for Josie & Nolan
Next Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 am the church will hold a wedding shower for Josie Stratham and Nolan Baumgartner upstairs in the Nelson Lounge. All are invited to attend, women and men alike! Josie and Nolan are registered at Target and Crate & Barrel. For more information, or if you would like to help with the shower, please contact Stacey Johnson or Kelly Vetter.

Thanks!
Cynthia would like to thank the choir for their good work and singing throughout Lent and Easter.

Church garden plots available
Are you a gardener, or would you like to become one? Ravenswood Covenant has free garden plots available along the north boundary of the church parking lot. if you would like to claim a plot, please contact the church office at 773-784-7091 or at office@ravenscov.org.

Farmers market is returning!
Our farmers market will be back this summer and fall, and this year it will commence in the spring as well! We’re moving the start of the market forward to Wednesday, May 8, so it’s not too early to think about volunteering. We have openings for RECC greeting tent staff, children’s art tent staff, bounce house monitors, as well as people who can help to set up and/or take down the market.

This is not necessarily a commitment to the full span of the market; whenever you can help out would be great! For more information, please contact Bekah Carlson or leave your name and contact info at the church office.

Camp Booster Fund
Interested in sending your children to overnight camp at Covenant Harbor or Covenant Point next summer? We have a camp booster fund that will give $200 towards the fee of any Ravenswood Covenant child (or that child’s friend) who wishes to attend one of our two Central Conference summer camps. We feel that every child from our congregation who wants to attend camp should have the opportunity to go!

Sunday School and Faith Forum
Sunday School and Faith Forum meets at 10:00 am every week, unless otherwise noted. Come join us as we gather together to learn and grow in faith every Sunday morning.

Scripture reader sign-up
We are seeking people to read the scripture passages of the day as part of the worship services this coming spring. If you are willing to be a scripture reader in April, May, or June, please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the church office or in the narthex on Sundays, or contact Gregory Sager or Pastor Ryan.

Pastor Ryan’s office hours
Pastor Ryan’s office hours at church are typically Tuesday thru Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. If you would like to meet with Pastor Ryan please call the church office in advance to schedule an appointment.

Coffee hour changes
There is now a coffee hour bulletin board downstairs in the fellowship hall! (It’s right next to the kids’ serving window.) Please look there for updated serving instructions as well as to find out what team you’re on. We’ve had some turnover, so we encourage you to sign up to join a serving team if you haven’t done so already. A self-sign-up will now be available on the board so that you can pick which Sundays work best for you. As always, thanks for serving!

Thursday evening Bible study
The weekly Bible study meets Thursdays at 7:00 pm. We are studying the Gospel of Mark. The Bible study meets in the upstairs lounge. For more information, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at (773) 784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org.

We now have Zoom available again for those who would like to take part in the Bible study but cannot be physically present. The Zoom link for the Bible study is:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83923376849?pwd=YUlYVXBmOVdwV0d5L20ySng3aHU3Zz09

Meeting ID: 839 2337 6849
Passcode: 318853

Join Us in Sponsoring a Student in the NPTS SRA Program
North Park’s School of Restorative Arts offers a MA in Christian Ministry and Restorative Arts, allowing free and incarcerated students to study together. This unique degree program is designed to prepare individuals for ministries of restoration in contexts susceptible to violence and includes courses in trauma, race relations, nonviolent communication, conflict transformation, restorative practices, and transformative justice, in addition to Bible, theology, and history. In partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections, this four-year degree is currently offered at Stateville Correctional Center with 80 incarcerated men and a first cohort of 20 women at Logan Correctional Center.

We, Ravenswood Covenant Church, have partnered with North Park Theological Seminary by committing to sponsor a student in this program. To help us support an SRA student please send a check to church or give online and in the memo line write: “SRA Sponsorship.”

Scripture for next Sunday
Acts 18:1-11
1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Our church exists to love and worship God, and love and care for others. By God’s grace, we commit to help people find and follow Jesus Christ through the guidance of His Spirit and His word.