January 8, 2023
Worship live on Sundays in person,
or on YouTube at 10:45 am.
Children’s Sunday School for ages K-7th grade at 9:30 am in-person.
Faith Forum (adult Sunday School) at 9:30 am in person and on Zoom.
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
PRELUDE
led by Dana
CALL TO WORSHIP
taken from Psalm 124: 1-8
Leader: If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
People: then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away;
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
Leader: Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
People: We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the hunters;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
All: Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
WELCOME , GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE
THE FIRST NOEL
(verses two through six only)
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far;
To seek for a king was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
This star drew nigh to the northwest,
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
Then entered in those wise men three,
Full rev’rently upon the knee,
And offered there, in His presence,
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heav’nly Lord;
For Christ has our salvation wrought
And with his blood our life has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
Covenant Hymnal #167
GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 2:1-18
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the Child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed His star in the east and have come to pay Him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay Him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they knelt down and paid Him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the Child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and went to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
Reader: The word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God!
HOW LONG?
How long, will you turn Your face away?
How long, do You hear us when we pray?
On and on, still we walk this pilgrim way
How long?
How long, till Your children find the rest?
How long, till You draw them to your breast?
We go on, holding to Your promises
How long?
Till You wipe away the tears from every eye
Till we see our home descending from the sky
Do we wait in vain?
Jesus, give us hope again
How long, till Your word will still the storm?
How long, till You bare your mighty arm?
How we grow, till you snatch us from the thorns
How long?
Till You wipe away the tears from every eye
Till we see our home descending from the sky
Do we wait in vain?
Jesus, give us hope again
Amen, Jesus, come
Amen, Jesus, come
Amen, Jesus, come
Amen, Jesus, come
Amen, Jesus, come
The Porter’s Gate: Isaac Wardell
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Jeremiah 31:15-17
Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.
16 Thus says the Lord:
Keep your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work,
says the Lord:
they shall come back from the land of the enemy;
17 there is hope for your future,
says the Lord:
your children shall come back to their own country.
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Pastor Denise
Children 6 and under are dismissed to Children’s Church in the upstairs lounge. Children will return to the sanctuary for communion.
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
“Death and Suffering and the Provision of God”
Pastor Mark
TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS
chorus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
O soul are you weary and troubled
No light in the darkness you see
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free
Through death into life everlasting
He passed and we follow Him there
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conquerors we are
His word shall not fail you He promised
Believe Him and all will be well
Then go to a world that is dying
His perfect salvation to tell
CCLI Song # 7117260 Dwan Hill | Helen H. Lemmel | Lauren Daigle | Paul Mabury © Words: Public Domain Music: 2018 CentricSongs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) See You At The Pub (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) ICM Crescendo Royalty Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) So Essential Tunes (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) Big Buddy Music (Admin. by Fun Attic Music, LLC)
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Messian Burgos, Frank Coszach, Vira Coszach, Gloria Evenson, Pedro Gomez, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Mary McKirchy, Shirley Nicholas, our Pastoral Search Committee, the family of Priscilla Ruppe (Brasks), Mary Smith, and Steve Staurseth
Ministries & Mission
Cheryll Anderson Clark & Moises Clark, serving in Ecuador; 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
Allegro
G.P. Telemann
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.
CONFESSION OF SIN
L: As we move towards the table let us remember the proof of God’s amazing love is this: while we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in Him, 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: The 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.)
INVITATION
It is now our sacred privilege to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. All who humbly put their trust in Christ and desire His help that they may lead a holy life; all who are truly sorry for their sins and would be delivered from them; all who would walk in love with their neighbors and intend to live a new life, following the commandments of God and walking from now on in His holy ways, are invited to draw near with faith and to receive this holy sacrament.
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.
SHARING IN COMMUNION
SPECIAL MUSIC
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Eternal God, heavenly father, You have graciously accepted us as living members of Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and You have fed us with spiritual food in the sacrament of His body and blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A SENDING FROM COMMUNION
What we have been about here is not separate from life. Rather these acts have been a reminder that we belong to Christ always and everywhere. We carry Christ’s Spirit into our homes, our daily activities, all our relationships. We are Christ’s people. By God’s grace let it be so. Amen.
HE IS THE LIGHT
I feel the nations of the earth are shaking
There is no power that can match His grace
Lift up your head, lift up your eyes to see
All of creation is waiting and longing
For sons and daughters to declare this truth
Lift up your head, lift up your voice and sing
chorus
He is the light shining in the darkness
He is the hope, hope of all the nations
He is the light, He is the light
For all the world to see
I feel that faith across the earth is rising
We prophesy about His Kingdom coming
Just like Heaven all across the earth
bridge
Great, great is the Lord
Praise His Name, praise His Name
Bryan Torwalt | Katie Torwalt © 2013 Capitol CMG Genesis (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Jesus Culture Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 349090
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Toccata in D minor
J.S. Bach
led by Cynthia
INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.
Worship update
The Leadership Team of Ravenswood Covenant Church recommends mask use during services, but this is not mandatory.
Ravenswood Covenant livestreams worship each week on YouTube, so Sunday morning worship is accessible to anyone who has Internet access.
Thanks from your church staff
The staff of Ravenswood Covenant would like to thank the congregation for the gracious and welcome Christmas bonuses we received. We wish an abundance of God’s blessings for each of you in 2023!
A message from the Swansons
As the snowflakes start to fall and the temperatures drop, we greet you from the Covenant missionary apartment in Chicago. Our seven-month home assignment in the USA is swiftly coming to a close. We plan to celebrate Christmas with our families and then move back to Sweden in January. The itineration schedule was full (37 churches and five Covenant retirement communities visited, and over 13,000 miles on our 2001 Buick Park Avenue)! We have been so blessed by the enthusiastic welcome and engaging responses we have received in each place we visited. Thanks for your faithful support and prayers.
We look forward with you to 2023. The challenges are still with us, but God’s presence and power are more than enough to meet each and every one! May you know the joy of trusting our Heavenly Father in all circumstances. We cannot see the future, but we know who holds the future in His hands! May God bless you and your congregation as you serve people from every tribe and nation. We will gather one day around our Savior, singing praise in many languages to Jesus, the world’s true Messiah. As our Swedish friends would say, “Glad Advent och God Jul.”
Blessed Advent and Joyful Christmas,
Steve and Barbara Swanson
Community dinners return
Winter can be an emotionally difficult and socially isolating season. It’s especially important to plan time to spend with others outside the home. Our Thursday night community dinners give people a chance to connect with each other and to break bread in fellowship with sisters and brothers in Christ. We will host two community dinners this month, one on Thursday, January 12 at 5:30 pm and the other on Thursday, January 19 at 5:30 pm. As usual, Chef Bobby will have something tasty and terrific in store for us! Recommended donations for the meal are $5 per person and $10 per family. Plan to attend!
Covenant Home Altar
Free copies of the Jan/Feb/Mar 2023 Covenant Home Altar are available in the narthex. The Covenant Home Altar is the daily devotional publication of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and features devotionals written by Covenanters from across the country.
Indoor Playground
Indoor Playground is back! Our weekly cold-weather opportunity to let young children run around in our gym, play with toys, and use the bounce house has begun again. Indoor Playground will be open every Thursday afternoon from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. We have been off for a few weeks during the holidays, but Indoor Playground will resume this Thursday, January 5th.
Aid for Ukrainian refugees
Jeremy and Amanda Foster, who attend our church, have a direct connection to a mission that is serving refugees who have fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Jeremy’s parents Don and Beatrice Foster are in Hazebrouck, France as tentmaker missionaries and have prepared rooms in their home for refugees coming from Ukraine.
If you would like to donate to help the Fosters pay for extra food and supplies, please give a donation to Ravenswood Covenant that is specially designated for Ukrainian refugees. If you would like to give directly online, the website for the Fosters is https://ukraine.la-ferme-de-la-papote.com/ .
The Covenant denomination is also raising funds for Ukraine through Covenant World Relief. Here is the link if you would like to donate through the Covenant’s program. https://giving.covchurch.org/priorities-detail/ukraine-response
Thursday evening Bible study
The weekly Bible study meets Thursdays at 7 pm. We are currently studying the book of Romans. The Bible study meets in the lounge, and is also accessible by Zoom. For more information, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at (773) 784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org
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.”
RECC preaching schedule for January
January 1: New Year’s Day special “Potluck in Pajamas” service
January 8: Pastor Mark
January 15: Pastor Denise
January 22: Kate Norton
January 29: Pastor Mark
Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 4:1-17
Psalm 91:9-12
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.