August 4, 2024

Worship live on Sundays in person at 10:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.

PRELUDE
led by Dana

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 100
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
People: Serve the Lord with gladness;
    come into His presence with singing.

Leader: Know that the Lord is God.
    It is He who made us, and we are His;
People: We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Leader: Enter His gates with thanksgiving
    and His courts with praise.
People: Give thanks to Him; bless His name.
Leader: For the Lord is good;
    His steadfast love endures forever
People: And his faithfulness to all generations.

UNISON PRAYER
Almighty Father, we worship You with gladness! Lord Jesus, we lean upon both Your saving grace and the example You set for us. Holy Spirit, we move and breathe and are faithful to Your call by Your very presence within us! Be with us here in worship today and throughout the week as we work for God’s glory and neighbor’s good. Amen. 

* AND CAN IT BE THAT I SHOULD GAIN
And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race!
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me.
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light!
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God should die for me?

No condemnation now I dread:
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou my God, should die for me?

Covenant Hymnal, #306

NEW TESTAMENT LESSON: Mary Spriggs
Romans 9:14-21

What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For He says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

16 So it depends not on human will or exertion but on God who shows mercy. 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I may show my power in you and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then He has mercy on whomever he chooses, and He hardens the heart of whomever He chooses.

19 You will say to me then, “Why then does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20 But who indeed are you, a human, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use?

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Ryan Jackson
2 Kings 6:15-23

When an attendant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. His servant said, “Alas, master! What shall we do?” 16 He replied, “Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw; the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this people, please, with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. 19 Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.

20 As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men so that they may see.” The Lord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were inside Samaria. 21 When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, “Father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?” 22 He answered, “No! Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink, and let them go to their master.” 23 So he prepared for them a great feast; after they ate and drank, he sent them on their way, and they went to their master. And the Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel.

* HE IS AMONG US (THE LEAST OF THESE)
You’ll find Me with the broken and the weak
In the spaces in between
You’ll hear My voice cry out with those who weep
Only if you’re listening

chorus
Whatever you do for the least of these
You do it unto Me

You’ll find Me with the ones without a voice
The forgotten and ignored
My blessing is on those who love the poor
Will you open up the door

bridge
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us He is among us
(repeat)

By this the world will know the Father’s love
We will know the Father’s love

Andy Piercy / Isaac Wardell / John Swinton / Orlando Palmer / Paul Zach © Common Hymnal Publishing; IAMSON Productions; Integrity Worship Music; Integrity’s Alleluia! Music; Paul Zach Publishing; PG Songs And Hymns

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
Mark 10:46-52
The Healing of Bartimaeus
Dr. Danny Martinez

THE CENTER OF IT ALL
From the coolness of the garden
To the chaos of the fall
When we saw the Red Sea parted
And Jericho’s tumbling walls
And love was leading us to freedom
And You were teaching us Your song
Through every page of history
You’re right where You belong

chorus
From the beginning to the ending
You’re the center of it all
It’s for You and it’s from You
You and You alone
The Author of our story
Let it all be for Your Glory
From the beginning to the ending
You’re the center of it all

From the promise of the prophets
To the Virgin birth
The one who healed the blind man
Was the King that came to serve
On a cross You bore my burden
Took my sin down to the grave
And on that Sunday morning
You rolled the stone away

chorus

And the tears that we’ve been crying
You’re gonna wipe away
When you call us home to heaven
And we see You face to face
We will join the saints and angels
We will raise a victory song
Singing holy, holy, holy,
To the center of it all

chorus

tag
From the beginning to the ending
You’re the center of it all

ending
You’re the center of it all
You’re the center of it all

Brown/Pardo/Powell © 2021 BrentHood Music; Capitol CMG Genesis; Generous Giver Music; Meaux Mercy; Songs Of J Mac Powell Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden; Messian Burgos; Frank Coszach; Vira Coszach; Art & Rosa Hamilton; Trevor Hanks; Mary McKirchy; Sara Rosado; Mary Smith; Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Colleen Nahnychuk, serving in Argentina
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
“Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners!”
Rowland H. Prichard
led by Dana and 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.

COMMUNION LITURGY
It is now our sacred privilege to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. All who humbly put their trust in Christ and desire His help that they may lead a holy life; all who are truly sorry for their sins and would be delivered from them; all who would walk in love with their neighbors and intend to live a new life, following the commandments of God and walking from now on in His holy ways, are invited to draw near with faith and to receive this holy sacrament.

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God! Many will come from east and west and from north and south and sit at table in the kingdom of God. This is the Lord’s Table. Our Savior invites those who trust Him to share the feast He has prepared. According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at table with His disciples, He took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.

UNISON CONFESSION OF SIN
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your name. Amen.

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

UNISON PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS
We do not presume to come to this Your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Your table. But you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the bread and drink the cup that we may evermore dwell in Him and He in us. Amen.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Hear the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as they are delivered by the apostle Paul: “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

SHARING THE BREAD AND CUP

PRAYER
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.

Loving God, we thank You that You have fed us with the bread of life, united us with Christ, and given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet in Your eternal kingdom. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

* BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE!
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

refrain
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Covenant Hymnal, #430

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

POSTLUDE
Fantasia in G
J.S. Bach
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.

Dr. Danny Martinez preaching today
Our guest preacher today is the Rev. Dr. Danny Martínez, who currently serves as the superintendent of the Central Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. The Central Conference includes ministries found in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan (Upper Peninsula), eastern Missouri, and eastern Wisconsin, serving over 100 churches. He was unanimously elected for a second term as superintendent in 2021. Danny is the first superintendent in our denomination of Latino descent. His parents emigrated from Guatemala to the U.S., moving to Chicago.

Danny has served in several leadership roles, including worship leader, church planter, and in youth and lead pastor roles. He has served as president of ALIPE (Association of Latino churches of the ECC in the US). Danny moved back home to Chicago from San Diego, CA, in 2017. This was truly a call from the Lord to leave San Diego and his adult children.

Danny is an accomplished musician with many CDs in different genres of music including Latin Pop, Hard Rock, Contemporary Worship, and Latin Groove. He recently released an album called Colores that is available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.

Dr. Martinez is a graduate of CHET, the Hispanic Center of Theological Studies, with a bachelor’s degree in theology. He also has a Master of Divinity and a doctorate degree in homiletics from Fuller Seminary.  Danny loves the multicultural church and learning languages. He feels that every culture contributes something unique to the mosaic of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Danny is passionate about the Church, especially youth and children ministries in the church. He enjoys walking alongside churches of diverse ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and multi-generational reach. Danny has a sense of humor. He values church participation during his preaching and sometimes he makes the congregation dance at no extra cost.

Danny’s three children, Eric, Alec and Angelique live in San Diego. They think he is an ancient relic from the 1980s. His sons and daughter are musicians and helped Danny plant several churches, serving as worship leaders. One of their pet peeves with their dad is when he sings songs with made up lyrics – sometimes even with his own songs.

Please welcome Dr. Danny Martinez back to Ravenswood Covenant today!

Farmers market
Last Wednesday was oppressively hot and humid — so hot, in fact, that we didn’t set up the bounce house for the farmers market but set up a sprinkler for the kids instead — so the weather seemed to keep the numbers down. There were 662 adults who attended the market, which still seems like a pretty good number for an afternoon and evening in the high 80s with humidity well into the 90s.

The farmers market continues to have openings for children’s art tent staff and 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.

End Hunger Games
Join The Friendship Center on Sunday, August 11 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Guild Row (3130 N. Rockwell St., just south of the Belmont Avenue bridge between Western and California) for the inaugural End Hunger Games. You’ll get to engage in friendly competition, enjoy good food, bet on amazing raffle items, and help end hunger in our community. Tickets are $35 and are available to purchase online. Visit https://friendshipcenterchicago.org/ehg/ for more information and to secure your spot. 

Scripture reader sign-up
We still have a Sunday in August for which we’re seeking people to read the scripture passages of the day in the worship service. If you are willing to be a scripture reader, 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. This week we began studying the book of Ecclesiastes. 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 have Zoom available 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

Scripture for next Sunday
Luke 15
Romans 10:1-13

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.

"With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." (Mark 4:30-32 NRS)