January 23, 2022
Adult Sunday School convenes at 9:30 on Zoom and in-person
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
PRELUDE
led by Dana
WELCOME & GREETING
CALL TO WORSHIP
based on Psalm 139
Leader: For it was You, Lord, who formed my inward parts;
People: You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
L: I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
P: Wonderful are Your works; that I know very well.
L: How weighty to me are Your thoughts, O God!
P: How vast is the sum of them!
L: I try to count them —
P: They are more than the sand;
ALL: I come to the end — I am still with You.
RECKLESS LOVE
Before I spoke a word You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me
chorus
O the overwhelming. never-ending
Reckless love of God
O it chases me down. fights ’til I’m found
Leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it. I don’t deserve it
Still, You give Yourself away
O the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless
Love of God, yeah
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me
bridge
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me
CCLI Song # 7089641 CCLI License # 349090
Caleb Culver | Cory Asbury | Ran Jackson © 2017 Cory Asbury Publishing
FIRST TESTAMENT LESSON
Numbers 21:4-9
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
I WILL SING OF MY REDEEMER
verses 1,3-4
I will sing of my Redeemer
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.
Sing, O sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me;
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.
I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant pow’r I’ll tell,
How the victory is given
Over sin and death and hell.
Sing, O sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me;
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.
I will sing of my Redeemer
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life has brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.
Sing, O sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me;
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.
Covenant Hymnal, # 223
GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
John 3:1-21
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive Our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Those who believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
Leader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
(sung)
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
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
Born Identity
Pastor Phil
HOLD ON TO ME
When the best of me is barely breathin’
When I’m not somebody I believe in
Hold on to me
When I miss the light the night has stolen
When I’m slammin’ all the doors You’ve opened
Hold on to me, hold on to me
chorus
Hold on to me when it’s too dark to see You
When I am sure I have reached the end
Hold on to me when I forget I need You
When I let go, hold me again
When I don’t feel like I’m worth defending
When I’m tired of all my pretending
Hold on to me
When I start to break in desperation
Underneath the weight of expectation
Hold on to me, hold on to me
ending
I could rest here in Your arms forever
‘Cause I know nobody loves me better
Hold on to me, hold on to me
CCLI Song # 7130439 CCLI License # 349090
Lauren Daigle | Paul Duncan | Paul Mabury © Centricity Music Publishing
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Ernesto Galaviz, Kristine Brandel’s friend Terrie, Nikolas Arden, the family of Katie Collier, Shirley Nicholas, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Esther Stoel, the Koeller family, Joyce Andrews, Brianna Randall, Mary Smith, Steve Hoden, Devencie Ervin and his family, Delores Staurseth, Tom Kelly, the family of Brian Alnes, Jane Auger, Mary McKirchy, Jolie Fisher, and Brian Finnegan.
Ministries & Mission
Anna & Peter Kim, serving in Taiwan; Renee Nicholas, serving local graduate students and faculty with InterVarsity
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@ravenscov.org
OFFERTORY
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.
COMMUNITY LIFE
ONE DAY
verses 1-2, 4-5
One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as bold as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt upon earth-my example is He!
Living, He loved me! Dying, He saved me!
Buried, He carried my sins far away!
Rising, He justified freely, forever!
One day He’s coming — O glorious day!
One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected,
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!
Living, He loved me! Dying, He saved me!
Buried, He carried my sins far away!
Rising, He justified freely, forever!
One day He’s coming — O glorious day!
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquer’d,
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!
Living, He loved me! Dying, He saved me!
Buried, He carried my sins far away!
Rising, He justified freely, forever!
One day He’s coming — O glorious day!
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing!
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
Living, He loved me! Dying, He saved me!
Buried, He carried my sins far away!
Rising, He justified freely, forever!
One day He’s coming — O glorious day!
Covenant Hymnal, #212
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
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.
A letter from Immanuel Covenant Church
Dear Rev. Staurseth and congregation,
Please accept this donation of $1000 on behalf of Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church. After 98+ years of ministry, our congregation has voted to close. Due to our declining numbers, we are no longer able to continue the important work that a church is called to do. While all of our building assets will go to the denomination and conference to plant new churches, our congregation has chosen to use some of our remaining money to bless those churches and organizations around us that we have partnered with in the past, that have an impact in our neighborhood, and/or that we anticipate may provide a new church home for some of our members. Thank you for the ministry that you provide here on the North Side of Chicago. We pray that God will continue to bless you and work through you.
Our final service will be held on January 23, 2022 at 2 pm. We invite you to join us as we give thanks for all God has done through Immanuel over the years. Due to safety concerns related to Covid-19, we ask that you RSVP on our website (immanuelcov.org) if you would like to attend.
In Christ,
Karmen Krause
Church Chair
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 42:1-3
John 4:1-42
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.