August 21, 2022
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
PRELUDE
WELCOME & GREETING, COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 145
Leader: I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
People: Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
Leader: One generation shall extol your works to another
and shall declare your mighty acts.
They will recount the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works I will meditate.
They will proclaim the might of your awesome deeds,
and will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
People: The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
I SING THE MIGHTY POWER OF GOD
I sing the mighty pow’r of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.
I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
He formed the creatures with his word and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Your wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye;
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!
There’s not a plant or flow’r below but makes Your glories known,
And clouds arise and tempests blow by order from Your throne,
All people. Lord, both friend and foe, are ever in Your care,
And ev’rywhere that we may go, we sense Your presence there. Amen.
Covenant Hymnal, #58
GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
Luke 6:36-38
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
THERE’S A WIDENESS IN GOD’S MERCY
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice
Which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner
and more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more simple,
we would take Him at His Word,
And our lives would be illumined
By the presence of our Lord.
Covenant Hymnal, #71
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Ruth 2:1-23
Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, a prominent rich man of the family of Elimelech whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain behind someone in whose sight I may find favor.” She said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she went. She came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers. As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. 4 Just then Boaz came from Bethlehem. He said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” They answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” 6 The young man who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers.’ So she came, and she has been on her feet from early this morning until now without resting even for a moment.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. If you get thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell prostrate, with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” 13 Then she said, “May I continue to find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, even though I am not one of your servants.”
14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some of this bread and dip your morsel in the sour wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he heaped up for her some parched grain. She ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, “Let her glean even among the standing sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 You must also pull out some handfuls for her from the bundles and leave them for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 She picked it up and came into the town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gleaned. Then she took out and gave her what was left over after she herself had been satisfied. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, saying, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he by the Lord, Whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a relative of ours, one of our nearest kin.” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, otherwise someone might bother you in another field.” 23 So she stayed close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests, and she lived with her mother-in-law.
Children 6 and under are dismissed to the gym
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Don’t lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will direct your paths.
Al-le-lu-ia, Al-le-lu-ia, and
He will direct your paths.
REFLECTING ON THE WORD
Second Chapter of Ruth
Brandi Sanders
IN THE FIELDS OF THE LORD
In the fields of the Lord our work is rest
He is moving in our hands and feet to bless
In the fields of the Lord, in the fields of the Lord
In the fields of the Lord our work is rest
In the vineyards of the Lord our work is light
He is tending every leaf and every vine
In the vineyards of the Lord
In the vineyards of the Lord
In the vineyards of the Lord our work is light
In the garden of the Lord our work is sound
He is weaving every thorn into a crown
In the garden of the Lord, in the garden of the Lord
In the garden of the Lord our work is sound
CCLI Song # 7097865 CCLI License # 349090
Audrey Assad | Isaac Wardell © Hymns From The Porter’s Gate
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Michael Bucci, Messian Burgos, Vira Coszach, Joan Erickson, Pedro Gomez, the congregation of Grace Evangelical Covenant Church, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Sarah Hill, Mary McKirchy, Shirley Nicholas, Mary Smith, the Staurseth family, and Esther Stoel
Ministries & Mission
Becci Swearingen, serving in Kenya, 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 & OFFERING
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle® to: giving@administrator
OFFERTORY
Prelude No. 1
Frédéric Chopin
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’VE A STORY TO TELL TO THE NATIONS
We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.
chorus
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noonday bright;
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
The kingdom of love and light.
We’ve a song to be sung to the nations,
That shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
A song that shall conquer evil,
And shatter the spear and sword,
And shatter the spear and sword.
We’ve a message to give to the nations,
That the Lord who reigns high above
Has sent us His Son to save us,
And show us that God is love,
And show us that God is love.
We’ve a Savior to show to the nations,
Who the path of sorrow has trod,
That all of the world’s great peoples
Might come to the truth of God,
Might come to the truth of God.
Covenant Hymnal, #688
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Moderato Terth Toni
F. X. Murschhauser
led by Cynthia
INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.
music as we go, by axiom.brass
Worship update
Due to an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Chicago, the Leadership Team of Ravenswood Covenant Church recommends mask use during services, but this is not mandatory.
Ravenswood Covenant will continue to livestream worship each week on YouTube and Facebook; this is now a permanent feature of our ministry, so Sunday morning worship will remain accessible to anyone who has Internet access.
Sunday School 2022-23
We are starting to plan for the fall schedule. On Sunday, September 11 we will have our kick-off to the fall Sunday School season, and the worship service will move to the school-year 10:45 am hour. We will have our kick-off breakfast at 9:30 am before worship at 10:45 that Sunday. The first Sunday of Sunday School classes is Sunday, September 18.
Lorri and Eli will teach the early elementary kids and Bekah will teach the older elementary age. If you are interested in helping with preschool age kids either before worship in the gym or during Children’s Church please contact Pastor Denise.
Women’s luncheon
Women, please save this date: Saturday, September 24, for a special luncheon and fun at church. You won’t want to miss this get-together!
Tacos & Tunes
Our third and final Tacos & Tunes event of summer 2022 this past Friday was a huge success, with over 100 adults and many children in attendance in our parking lot to enjoy good food, conversation, live jazz, and all of the children’s activities. Many thanks to all who made Tacos & Tunes such a success this summer, in particular our chefs, Bobby and Hannah Blasé.
Farmers market
We had yet another picture-perfect day this past Wednesday for our farmers market, which drew 463 adults and the usual crowd of kids.
The farmers market season will run until our annual fall festival on Wednesday, October 12. This year’s markets will run from 4 pm to 7 pm, and as always they will be held in the church parking lot.
We are still looking for market volunteers to help out with set-up, assisting with kids activities, and take-down on Wednesdays. If you can assist, even if it’s only for one Wednesday, please contact Bekah Carlson, Pastor Denise, or the church office.
Aid for Ukrainian refugees
Jeremy and Amanda Foster, who attend our church, have a direct connection to a mission that is serving refugees who have fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Jeremy’s parents Don and Beatrice Foster are in Hazebrouck, France as tentmaker missionaries and have prepared rooms in their home for refugees coming from Ukraine.
If you would like to donate to help the Fosters pay for extra food and supplies, please give a donation to Ravenswood Covenant that is specially designated for Ukrainian refugees. If you would like to give directly online, the website for the Fosters is https://ukraine.la-ferme-de-la-papote.com/ .
The Covenant denomination is also raising funds for Ukraine through Covenant World Relief. Here is the link if you would like to donate through the Covenant’s program. https://giving.covchurch.org/priorities-detail/ukraine-response
Thursday evening adult Bible study
The weekly Bible study will not meet this coming Thursday, in order to accommodate the fifth and final focus group as it meets in the upstairs lounge on Thursday at 7 pm and uses the church’s Zoom access.
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.”
RECC preaching schedule for the remainder of the summer
August 7: Pastor Mark
August 14: Eliza Stiles
August 21: Brandi Sanders
August 28: Pastor Denise
September 3: Gregory Sager
Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 7:7-8
Ruth 3:1-18
Art Used in this Bulletin: Steve Erspamer, SM
Clip Art for Year A © 1992, Archdiocese of Chicago.
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.