February 25, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

February 25, 2024

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

PRELUDE
“Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”
led by Cynthia

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 34:11-14

Leader: Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
People: Whoever loves life and desires to see many good days,
Leader: Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.
People: Turn from evil and do good: seek peace and pursue it.

UNISON PRAYER
Abba Father, You created all life, all planets, all stars, and all universes! Lord Jesus, You restored creation by saving humanity from sin and death. Holy Spirit, You breathe new life into all who are willing. Father, Son, and Spirit, we are in awe before Your great power. Take away our foolish pride and replace it with Your humble love. Amen.

* HOLY GOD, WE PRAISE THY NAME
Holy God, we praise Thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee.
Saints on earth Thy scepter claim;
All in heav’n above adore Thee.
Infinite, Thy vast domain;
Everlasting is Thy reign.

Hark, the glad celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising;
Cherubim and seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising,
Fill the heav’ns with sweet accord:
“Holy, holy, holy Lord!”

Lo, the apostolic train
Joins Thy sacred name to hallow;
Prophets swell the glad refrain,
And the white-robed martyrs follow;
And from morn to set of sun,
Through the church the song goes on.

Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, three we name Thee,
Though in essence only one;
Undivided God, we claim Thee,
And, adoring, bend the knee
While we own the mystery. Amen.

Covenant Hymnal, #19

* GOSPEL LESSON: Paul Shaheen
Mark 10:32-34

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to Him, ³³saying, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; then they will hand Him over to the gentiles; ³⁴they will mock him and spit upon Him and flog Him and kill Him, and after three days He will rise again.”

* HERE I AM TO WORSHIP
chorus
So here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God
And You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love’s sake became poor

bridge
And I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
And I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross

CCLI Song # 3266032 CCLI License # 349090
Tim Hughes © 2000 Thankyou Music

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 10:35-45
Downward Mobility
Pastor Ryan

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Covenant Hymnal, #222

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
Alex & Melanie Viana, serving in Mozambique; 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
“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”
John Newton, arr. James Koerts
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.

* OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART
Open the eyes of my heart Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy holy holy

Holy holy holy
Holy holy holy
Holy holy holy
I want to see You

CCLI Song # 2298355 CCLI License # 349090
Paul Baloche © 1997 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music

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

POSTLUDE
Andantino in G minor
J.S. Bach
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 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!

Last day of Easter lily sign-up
This is the last Sunday to sign up for Easter lillies! 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 by tomorrow morning.

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 12:13-17
Mark 12:1-12
Psalm 86:8-13

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.