January 14, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

January 14, 2024

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

PRELUDE
“Thanks Be to Thee”
G.F. Handel
led by Mary

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 103:6, 11-13
Leader: The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
People: For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is His love for those who fear Him.
Pastor: As far as the east is from the west,
    so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
People: As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

PRAYER
God of grace, You have given us minds to know You, hearts to love You, and voices to sing Your praise. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may celebrate Your glory and worship You in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

* AMAZING GRACE! HOW SWEET THE SOUND
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound —
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Covenant Hymnal, #341

* GOSPEL LESSON: Rod Kutz
Mark 2:1-12

When He returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. ²So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door, and He was speaking the word to them. ³Then some people came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸At once Jesus perceived in His spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves, and He said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic— ¹¹“I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home.” ¹²And he stood up and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

GOODNESS OF GOD
I love You Lord
Oh Your mercy never fails me
All my days I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
I will sing of the goodness of God

chorus
All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In darkest nights You are close like no other
I’ve known You as a father
I’ve known You as a friend
I have lived in the goodness of God

bridge
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now,
I give You everything
Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me

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 2:13-22
On a Mission from God
Pastor Ryan

JUST AS I AM
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Covenant Hymnal, #331

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; Steve Staurseth; Phillip, son of Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Peter & Ruth Dutton, serving in Thailand; 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
Prayer
Léon Boëllmann
led by Mary

* 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.

* HAVE MERCY ON ME
The goodness of the Lord is the kindness of the Lord
With ev’ry breath we take, the gift of life and grace
The power of the Lord is the meekness of the Lord
Who bore humanity with brave humility

chorus
Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy, Your mercy
Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy, Your mercy

The beauty of the Lord is the suff’ring of the Lord
Is Christ upon a tree, stripped of dignity
The glory of the Lord is the mercy of the Lord
Gives life for us to see a new humanity

chorus

bridge 1
When they see us, may they see
Your mercy, Your mercy
When they know us, may they know
Your mercy, Your mercy
When they see us, may they see
Your mercy, Your mercy
When they know us, may they know
Your mercy, Your mercy

chorus
Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy, Your mercy
Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy, Your mercy

bridge 2
Bless the hands and feet
Of those who serve in need
Of the broken and ashamed
Bless the weary soul
The Lord will make us whole
God, speak peace to those afraid
May the words we speak
Build a bridge for peace
Your loving kindness shows the way
Open up our doors
Giving refuge for
All the weary and afraid…

chorus

Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy, Your mercy

David Gungor / Latifah Alattas / Madison Cunningham © Porter’s Gate Publications; Porter’s Gate Publishing. Administrated by Essential Music Publishing LLC

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

POSTLUDE
Agincourt Hymn
John Dunstable
led by Mary
please remain seated during the postlude

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

Thank you to our guest organist, Mary Anderson, for filling in this morning for Cynthia Arden.

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.

Lake County Symphony Orchestra presents “Timeless Masters”
The Lake County Symphony Orchestra, featuring our own Cynthia Arden, will present a concert entitled “Timeless Masters” that will feature Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. It will be held on February 3 at the James Lumbar Auditorium of the College of Lake County. Tickets and more information are available at www.lakecountysymphonyorchestra.com.

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. Sunday School is currently in its annual three-week holiday hiatus; Faith Forum is continuing to meet. 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 4:21-34
Mark 4:1-20
Psalm 126

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.