Adult Sunday School will reconvene on January 10
Normally 9:30 on zoom

Streaming Live
Facebook & YouTube


KIDS TIME
Music & a visit from some friends

PRELUDE
led by Cynthia

WELCOME & GREETING

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CALL TO WORSHIP                                   based on Psalm 148
L:  Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
P: Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!

L: Praise him, sun and moon,
P: praise him, all you shining stars!

L: Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
P: his majesty is above earth and heaven.

ANGELS, FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY
Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
You who sang creation’s story,
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth;
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant light;
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations,
You have seen the natal star:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In his temple shall appear:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

From the Covenant Hymnal, page 159

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Psalm 147:12-20

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders;
    he fills you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
    he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs—
    who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!

JOY BELLS ARE RINGING
Joy bells are ringing, Christmas is bringing
Tidings of Jesus’ birth.
Candles are gleaming, gladness is streaming
Out over all the earth.

Light is ascending, night-time is ending,
Sunshine from God appears.
Hope of the ages, foretold by sages,
Comes to dispel all fears.

Oh, what a treasure God in his pleasure
Lovingly gives to day!
Grace to the lowly, peace pure and holy,
Angels to all convey.

Come to the manger, kindred and stranger,
Hail now the newborn King!
In adoration, with jubilation,
Peoples and nations sing!

Banish all sadness, fill me with gladness,
Jesus, whom I adore!
All else may perish, thee will I cherish
Now and forevermore!

From the Covenant Hymnal, page 166

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GOSPEL LESSON
John 1:1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

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.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
Grace for the Unamazed
Gregory Sager

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AMAZING GRACE
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
Then when we’d first begun.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
Folks We Are Praying For:
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.

Church family who work in and around hospitals & nursing homes:
Alex A, Kyra A, Hannah A, Sam A, Linda C, Carl G, Katie G, Eric H, Rachel H, Chona I, Abby H, Dana J, Bryan J, Kari J, Neal J, Eric S, Don T.

(If we missed any people’s names above please let us know.)

We continue to pray for: Bud & Audrey Hodgkinson, Kathy Salzano, Ron Arden, Bob Auger, Nikolas Arden, Katie Collier, Art and Rosa Hamilton, Shirley Nicholas, Paul Mounts, Jane Auger, Joyce Andrews, Steve Hoden, Mary Spriggs, Alice Nilsson (Nancy Popovich’s sister), the Brandel-Tanis family, the Morales/Randall family.

Ministries & Mission
Hannah & Jared Baker, serving in the Middle East and North Africa; Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp.

GIVING OF OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS
& PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle® to: giving@ravenscov.org

In the Bleak Midwinter
led by 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. 

CONFESSION OF SIN & PASSING OF PEACE
L: The proof of God’s amazing love is this: while we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in Christ, we dare to approach God with confidence. In humility and faith let us confess our sin to God.

L: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.

L: Let us confess our sins against God and neighbor.

All:  Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.  Amen.

PASSING THE PEACE
L:  Since in Christ we are reconciled to God, so also we are reconciled to each other, the members of his body, the Church.  May God’s peace extend throughout this congregation.

L: Peace of Christ be with you
P: And also with you.
L:  Let us extend to each other signs of that peace.

(extend greetings to those you’re with ,
comments online are welcome.)

A PRAYER FOR COMMUNION
Holy God, we praise you.
Let the heavens be joyful and the earth be glad.

We bless you for creating the whole world,
for your promises to your people Israel,
and for Jesus Christ in whom your fullness dwells.

Born of Mary, he shares our life.
Eating with sinners, he welcomes us.
Guiding his children, he leads us.
Visiting the sick, he heals us.
Dying on the cross, he saves us.
Risen from the dead, he gives new life.
Living with you, he prays for us.

The Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembering me.”

In the same way he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembering me.”

With thanksgiving we take this bread and this cup and proclaim the death and resurrection of our Lord.

Receive our sacrifice of praise.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
that this meal may be a communion in the body and blood or our Lord.

Make us one with Christ
and with all who share this feast.

Unite us in faith,
encourage us with hope,
inspire us to love that we may serve

As your faithful disciples
Until we feast at your table in glory.

We praise you, eternal God,
through Christ your Word made flesh,
in the holy and life-giving Spirit now and forever.  Amen.

Prayer of Consecration
Sharing in Communion

SPECIAL MUSIC
led by Cynthia

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FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE
Your grace will never be forgot
Your mercy all my life
Will be my soul’s forever song
My story and my light

From mountaintop to valley low
Through laughter and through tears
Surely the goodness of my God
Will follow all the years

Chorus:
For all that You have done, for us
For every battle won
We’ll raise a song to bless Your heart
For all that You have done

In all our failures and regrets
You’ve always led us home
Redemption’s arm has raised us up
Our triumph in the storm

In unity we’ll stand as one
As family we’ll go
Shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand
Into the great unknown

CCLI Song # 7033047 CCLI License # 349090
Rend Collective © Thankyou Music

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

POSTLUDE
Joy to the World
led by Cynthia

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

Faith Forum update

Faith Forum, Ravenswood Covenant’s adult Sunday School class, will be taking this week off and will return on January 10. It meets via Zoom at the traditional meeting time of 9:30 am on Sunday. This is the Zoom link for Faith Forum. The link is also provided at the top of the bulletin every week.

Thursday Night Bible Study


The Thursday night Bible study is taking a break for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. It will resume on Thursday, January 7, when we will begin a study of 1 Corinthians. The Bible study meets every Thursday at 6:30 pm via Zoom , and if you are not conversant with Zoom, don’t let that stop you! We can teach you how to activate Zoom so that you can take part. If you’re interested, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at office@ravenscov.org or at 773-784-7091.

The Zoom link for the Thursday night Bible study is https://zoom.us/j/95052558015?pwd=N3d1eFpUUmUwenhCSzNJNUk3WEV2QT09

Meeting ID: 950 5255 8015
Passcode: 141628

Thursday evening community dinner returns!
Our Thursday evening community dinner program, after taking a break for the holidays, will resume this coming Thursday, January 7, as Chef Bobby will be making black bean chili, with bacon and beef or as a vegetarian option, along with salad, corn bread, and dessert. The suggested donation is $5 for individuals, $10 for families. As usual during the pandemic period, the meal will be reservation and pick-up only; to make your reservation and set your pick-up time for Thursday, please respond to the sign-up email that will be forthcoming within the next 48 hours. There will be a limited number of meals prepared, so please respond promptly to the sign-up email if you’d like to participate this week.

2021 camp registration update from HarborPoint Ministries
The calendar may show December … but at Covenant Harbor and Covenant Point Bible camps, the staffs are already thinking about summer! For those who are wondering about camp options for summer 2021, please be aware that online registration for next summer’s camping season will open on Tuesday, January 5.

Day, overnight, and family camp options are posted at www.covenantharbor.org and www.cpbc.com so that you can get familiar with your choices.

Prayer meeting canceled indefinitely
The church’s biweekly prayer meeting that gathers every second and fourth Monday night each month has been canceled until further notice as part of the church’s response to Chicago’s heightened Covid-19 infection rate and the mayor’s “Stay-at-Home Advisory.”

Prayer requests
A group of women in our church are meeting every night at 7 pm via phone calls and texts in order to keep our various needs before God in prayer. They are asking the congregation to bring their needs to them to be lifted up in prayer as part of this evening prayer time. If you have any needs that you would like to have added to their prayer list, please contact the church office.

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 773-396-6175 for more information.

Our response to the current health crisis
As a community of faith we continue to pray for the health and welfare of our church and community as we resist the temptation to fall prey to fear. We do, however, want to continue to look out for the welfare of our friends and neighbors. We are doing our best to stay current with best practices for this unique time — please stay tuned as these may change. Our primary place for timely communication will be our website, ravenscov.org. We will also offer reminders and notes on our Facebook page and by email. We are livestreaming our Sunday morning worship on Facebook Live and YouTube so that you may continue to be a part of our worship. Do not, however, become isolated. If you need any help there are folks in our church who can do so. Call the office (773-784-7091) or email the office (office@ravenscov.org).

General fund giving:
December 20: $1,818

General fund giving:
December 27: $1,753

Scripture for next Sunday
Genesis 1:1-5
Psalm 29
Mark 1:4-11

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)