February 13, 2022
Adult Sunday School convenes at 9:30 on Zoom and in-person, Children’s Sunday School is in-person at 9:30am

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE
led by Dana

WELCOME, COMMUNITY LIFE & GREETING

RESPONSIVE READING
Leader: From God came the sustenance for people who wandered in wilderness places.
People: That was the bread from heaven!
L: From God comes Jesus Christ, the eternal bread that sustains our lives.
P: Christ is the Bread of Life!
L: Let us praise God for such wondrous gifts of life.
P: Let us sing and raise our voices in gratitude for all that God does for us. Amen.

call to worship from Ministry Matters.com

CHRIST IS THE TRUTH, THE WAY
Christ is the truth, the way,
The center of our life.
Christ shares the struggles of our day,
Our earthly joy and strife.
Redeeming what is lost
And healing those in pain,
Christ walks the valley of the cross,
The servant’s glad domain.

Christ is the pow’r of peace,
Of lasting harmony.
In Christ, the wars of earth shall cease,
Christ is our unity.
The lion shall lie down
In peace beside the lamb.
The mighty shall lay down their crowns
Before the great “I Am.”

Christ is the living bread,
The source of grace outpoured,
Our deepest hungers shall be fed,
In Christ life is restored.
Earth’s hungry shall rejoice,
For they shall all be filled,
The good shall welcome with one voice
The justice God has willed.

Christ is our living head,
Our sole authority.
By Christ’s own Spirit we are led
To serve humanity.
We follow where Christ leads
When others’ pain we bear;
Responding to our neighbors’ needs,
The cross and crown we share.

Covenant Hymnal, #207

GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
John 6:30-59

30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Leader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

ONE BREAD, ONE BODY
One bread, one body,
One Lord of all,
One cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many
Throughout the earth,
We are one body in this one Lord.

Gentile or Jew,
Servant or free,
Woman or man,
No more.

One bread, one body,
One Lord of all,
One cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many
Throughout the earth,
We are one body in this one Lord.

Many the gifts,
Many the works,
One in the Lord of all.

One bread, one body,
One Lord of all,
One cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many
Throughout the earth,
We are one body in this one Lord.

Grain for the fields,
Scattered and grown.
Gathered to one, for all.

One bread, one body,
One Lord of all,
One cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many
Throughout the earth,
We are one body in this one Lord.

Covenant Hymnal, #570

Children ages 3-5 are dismissed to the fellowship hall at this time for Children’s Church.

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
Bread of Life
Pastor Denise

JESUS, BREAD OF LIFE
Jesus, bread of life, manna from heaven
Broken for the world
Offered up for every man
The feast of angels
Becomes food for the weary
And hungry hearts are filled
When You open up Your hand
When You open up Your hand

chorus
O Lord, come fill us with your love
This table laid for us
There is more than enough
O Jesus, bread of life

Sister, take what you need, anything I own
There is no famine here, Jesus’ love will multiply
Brother, what’s mine is yours, you are not alone
There is no shortage here, Jesus’ love will satisfy
Jesus’ love will satisfy

CCLI Song # 7138305 CCLI License # 349090
Audrey Assad | Fernando Ortega© 2019 Fortunate Fall Music

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Kristine Brandel’s family, Nikolas Arden, Shirley Nicholas, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Esther Stoel, the Koeller family, Mary Smith, Delores and Steve Staurseth, Jane Auger, Mary McKirchy, and the former congregation of Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church.

Ministries & Mission
Robert & Rae Rife, serving in the U.K.; 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
Sarabanda from Sonata No. 8, Opus 5
Arcangelo Corelli
led by Erin 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.

HE IS AMONG US
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
‘Til you open up the door

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

bridge
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us

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

A Song by Porter’s Gate

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

POSTLUDE
Grave’ in G major
J.S. Bach
led by Cynthia

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

music as we go, by axiom.brass

Covid restrictions for in-person worship
Chicago is now requiring the use of masks for indoor public gatherings, so Ravenswood Covenant has reinstated safety protocols for Sunday morning worship. This means that within the building masks are required at all times, regardless of vaccination status; seating is socially distant; and handshakes and hugs are avoided.

We are still observing precautions regarding children, specifically with regard to the cry room. As was the case before, if you and your family would like to worship in the cry room, please reserve it in advance by contacting Gregory Sager at office@ravenscov.org or 773-784-7091. One family may choose to use the cry room upon arrival if it hasn’t already been reserved. Children of all ages are always welcome to be in the sanctuary with their parents for the worship service!

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.

Farewell luncheon for Pastor Phil & Kerry
Please mark your calendar for a special luncheon that will be held on Sunday, February 27 at church, following what will be the final Sunday worship service that Pastor Phil leads at Ravenswood Covenant. The format will be a socially-distanced meal served simultaneously in both the fellowship hall and the lounge, as was the case with the Offerfest meal in November. This will be your opportunity to say farewell to the pastor and Kerry and to thank him in person for his service to our congregation, so please make plans to attend.

Jar of Gratitude for Pastor Phil & Kerry
We are putting together a “Jar of Gratitude” for Pastor Phil and Kerry. If you would like to write a note of thanks, a letter of encouragement, a memory, a Bible verse, or something you appreciated during Pastor Phil’s time at Ravenswood Covenant, please write it down and put it in an envelope and give it to Pastor Denise, Gregory Sager, or Don Hodgkinson. You can also mail it to the church office and write on the outside that it is for the gratitude jar. We will have the jar out near the sanctuary in the coming weeks for you to deposit your letters as well. The letters will only be read by the Staurseths. Children are encouraged to draw or color a picture if they would like to add something to the jar.

Wedding shower for Erin Staurseth
There will be a wedding shower for Erin Staurseth on Saturday,
March 19 in the fellowship hall downstairs. The happy couple is registered at Target, Amazon, Crate & Barrel, Williams Sonoma, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. RSVP to the church office or call Marlene Glowen at 773-275-9138.

Chicago Zomi Bethel Church to share our building
As per a vote taken at our last congregational business meeting, Chicago Zomi Bethel Church has been accepted as a renter of our space and a rental agreement has been signed. CZBC is a small congregation consisting of immigrants from the Asian nation of Myanmar. CZBC will meet in the older (sanctuary) half of our building at 3 pm every Sunday beginning March 6.

Be sure to greet and welcome our Christian brothers and sisters from CZBC if you meet them!

Faith Forum
Faith Forum, our adult Sunday School class, meets every week in the upstairs lounge at 9:30 am. It operates in a hybrid format; you are invited to attend in person, but if you do so, please wear a mask. As was the case last year, the class will also have a Zoom component for those who wish to attend remotely. The Zoom link can be found at the top of the online bulletin every week. Pastor Phil is currently leading Faith Forum in a study of the book of Romans.

Thursday evening adult Bible study
Our weekly Bible study meets on Thursday evenings at 7 pm. We are currently studying the book of Colossians. We welcome anybody to the upstairs lounge on Thursday evenings who wants to take part in the Bible study. Please wear a mask. If you would prefer to participate remotely, or if you are out of town, the Bible study will continue to provide Zoom access as well for online participants.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95052558015?pwd=N3d1eFpUUmUwenhCSzNJNUk3WEV2QT09

The Zoom meeting ID for the Bible study:  972 871 4458
The Zoom passcode for the Bible study: 1qa3CD

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.”

Free masks available
The church is offering free masks to anyone in the congregation who is in need of one. If you would like, you may make a donation to our benevolence fund when you come to the church building to pick yours up. Please contact the church office at office@ravenscov.org or 773-784-7091 for more information.

Scripture for next Sunday
Psalm 147:1-11
John 7:37-52

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)