February 11, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

February 11, 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
from Psalm 27:1,4

Leader: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
People: The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Leader: One thing I asked of the Lord; this I seek:
to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
People: To behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in His temple.

PRAYER
Great God of dazzling beauty and overshadowing majesty, in Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, we glimpse the image of Your glory. Teach us to listen to Him so that we may hear Your voice and follow Your holy way; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

* THINE IS THE GLORY
Thine is the glory,
Risen, conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the vict’ry
Thou o’er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes
Where Thy body lay.

refrain
Thine is the glory,
Risen, conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the vict’ry
Thou o’er death hast won.

Lo, Jesus meets us,
Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us,
Scatters fear and gloom.
Let His church with gladness,
Hymns of triumph sing,
For the Lord now liveth:
Death hath lost its sting.

No more we doubt Thee,
Glorious Prince of life!
Life is naught without Thee:
Aid us in our strife.
Make us more than conqu’rors,
Through Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan
To Thy home above.

Covenant Hymnal, #243

GOSPEL LESSON: Bekah Carlson
Mark 8:27-38

Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸And they answered Him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him, “You are the Messiah.” ³⁰And He sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about Him.

³¹Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³But turning and looking at His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

³⁴He called the crowd with His disciples and said to them, “If any wish to come after Me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

* HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD
The splendor of the King
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice
He wraps Himself in light
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
And trembles at His voice

chorus
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see how great
How great is our God

And age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the End
Beginning and the End
The Godhead three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

bridge
Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

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
Mark 9:1-10
Halftime Adjustment
Pastor Ryan

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR
Beautiful Savior! King of creation!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’ll love Thee, truly I’ll serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown.

Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming flow’rs of spring:
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
He makes our sorrow’ng spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine! Amen.

Covenant Hymnal, # 317

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; Nancy Popovich’s family; Sara Rosado; Mary Smith; Phillip, son of Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Lisandro & Patricia Restrepo, serving in Mexico; Barb & Steve Swanson, serving in Sweden

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
Brother James’ Air
led by the choir

* 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.

* HOSANNA (WILL YOU RISE)
verse 1
When the waters rise all around
When the rocks and trees they cry out

chorus
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven

Hosanna, hosanna
Will You rise, will You rise

verse 2
Fill us with Your breath to renew
To care for what You’ve made as You do

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

POSTLUDE
March from Die Zauberflote
W.A. Mozart
led by Cynthia
please remain seated during the postlude

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.

Choir is back!
It’s still cold outside, but the spring season of our church choir is almost upon us! The choir has begun rehearsing for the Lenten and Holy Week seasons. The choir rehearses every Sunday at 9:00 am during choir seasons, and choir membership remains open to anyone who loves to sing. Consider joining us this spring!

Easter lily sign-up
Easter comes early this year (March 28), so we need to begin planning our order for the florist. If you would like to purchase a lily that will adorn the front of the church on Easter that you can take home after the service, please fill out an order form, indicating if you would like a bulletin listing in honor of or in memory of a loved one, and return the form to Gregory Sager in the church office.

Ash Wednesday
Pastor Ryan will offer individuals the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, February 14, in the sanctuary between 11:30 am and
1:30 pm. No appointment is necessary.

Men’s Retreat at Covenant Point
Invite some friends out for a weekend of fun, fellowship, excellent food, meaningful conversations, and life-giving worship at Covenant Point Bible Camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Recreation opportunities include a broomball tournament, afternoon jam session (bring your own instrument), snowshoeing, cross country skiing on our groomed ski trails, sauna and polar bear dip, card games and conversations in the dining hall, and more! If there is sufficient interest, Ravenswood Covenant will organize rides for any men who would like to go. The CPBC men’s retreat is the weekend of February 23-25, 2024. See www.cpbc.com/mensretreat for more details, and/or speak to Pastor Ryan if you’re interested in going.

NPU Hymn Festival 2024
The North Park School of Music, Art, and Theatre extends an invitation to North Park University’s annual Hymn Festival. This year’s theme is “Belonging”. We raise our voices in community, exploring the power of restoring love through congregational hymns and songs. This free event will take place on Friday, February 16 at 7:30 pm at Anderson Chapel, 5159 N. Spaulding Avenue (located on the North Park University campus at the corner of Foster and Spaulding).

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 for the first quarter of 2024. If you are willing to be a scripture reader, please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the church office 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
Mark 10:23-31
Mark 10:17-22
Psalm 19:7-10

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.