July 28, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

July 28, 2024

Worship live on Sundays in person at 10:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.

PRELUDE
led by Dana

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 107:1, 35-37
Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
for His steadfast love endures forever.
People: He turns a desert into pools of water,
   a parched land into springs of water.
Leader: And there He lets the hungry live,
   and they establish a town to live in;
People: They sow fields, and plant vineyards,
   and get a fruitful yield.

UNISON PRAYER
Almighty Father, thank You for sending your Son to save us and Your Spirit to inspire us. Open up our hearts as we open up Your Word. Speak to us through today’s songs. Fill us with today’s prayers. Teach us through today’s parable. By Your grace, may we grow like mustard seeds. Amen.

* COME, CELEBRATE THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Come, celebrate the presence of the Lord
Whose Holy Spirit draws us all together.
One faith, one Lord,
Our hope has been restored
As gifts of love upon us have been poured.
Come, celebrate the presence of the Lord.

Come, celebrate the goodness of the Lord
Whose strong and loving arms are put around us.
Held in God’s care
Who hears our ev’ry prayer
And lifts us up to glory from despair.
Come, celebrate the presence of the Lord.

Come, celebrate the mercy of the Lord
Whose everlasting covenant is given.
Sin quarantined,
But God has intervened,
In Jesus’ name we now have been redeemed.
Come, celebrate the presence of the Lord.

Come, celebrate the glory of the Lord
Whose kingdom is beyond our understanding.
Witness the show’r
Of blessing and of pow’r,
For God is present with us in this hour.
Come, celebrate the presence of the Lord.

Covenant Hymnal, #512

NEW TESTAMENT LESSON: Esther Stoel
Romans 9:31-33

Israel, who did strive for the law of righteousness, did not attain that law. ³²Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, ³³as it is written,

“See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall,
and whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame.”

* ALL THINGS NEW
Your love’s making all things new
You’re working in all for good
For the things of this world
There is hope renewed
In the life that is found in You

chorus
You make all things new
You make all things new
Yesterday and forever
Your love never changing
This hope never fading
Hallelujah

My faith is in things unseen
Bringing life where it has not been
Speaking things that are not
As if they were
I am alive in You

bridge
The heavens have been opened
I know that I am chosen
I am alive in You
I am alive in You
God You are restoring
All things for Your glory
I am alive in You
I am alive in You

CCLI Song # 7019975 Ben Fielding | Dean Ussher © 2013 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE

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
Mustard Seeds
Mark 4:26-34
Pastor Ryan

COME, YOU THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME
Come, you thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, does provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy or sorrow grown:
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away,
Give His angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,
To Your final harvest home;
Gather now Your people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin;
There forever purified,
In Your presence to abide;
Come with all Your angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home. Amen.

Covenant Hymnal, #654

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden; Messian Burgos; Frank Coszach; Vira Coszach; Art & Rosa Hamilton; Trevor Hanks; Mary McKirchy; Sara Rosado; Mary Smith; Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Covenant Kids Congo
Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp

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
“O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
Henry Percy Smith
led by Dana 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.

* IN THE FIELDS OF THE LORD
In the fields of the Lord, our work is rest
He is moving in our hands and feet to bless
In the fields of the Lord, in the fields of the Lord
In the fields of the Lord, our work is rest.

In the vineyards of the Lord, our work is light
He is tending every leaf and every vine
In the vineyards of the Lord, in the vineyards of the Lord
In the vineyards of the Lord, our work is light.

In the garden of the Lord, our work is sound
He is weaving every thorn into a crown
In the garden of the Lord, in the garden of the Lord
In the garden of the Lord, our work is sound.

At the harvest of the Lord, the fields are white
O, He will wipe away the tears from ev’ry eye
At the harvest of the Lord, at the harvest of the Lord
At the harvest of the Lord, the fields are white.

Audrey Assad / Isaac Wardell © 2017 Porter’s Gate Publishing (BMI) and Hymns From the Porter’s Gate (ASCAP). All rights reserved and administered by Fair Trade Music Publishing c/o essentialmusicpublishing.com.

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

POSTLUDE
Gravé in G
J.S. Bach
led by Cynthia

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

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.

Cooler Sundays in 2024
Today is Cooler Sunday! Our Cooler Sundays, which take place every fourth Sunday of the three summer months, feature grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and a potluck meal. Please plan to join us downstairs after today’s service for fun, food, and fellowship!

Farmers market
An overcast day kept the numbers down slightly, but we still had a good farmers market on Wednesday, with 712 adults on hand shopping at our vendors’ booths. All of the children, for whom the farmers market is a weekly highlight of their young lives, enjoyed the bounce house, the art tent, the science table, and the water area.

The farmers market continues to have openings for children’s art tent staff and bounce house monitors, as well as people who can help to set up and/or take down the market.

This is not necessarily a commitment to the full span of the market; whenever you can help out would be great! For more information, please contact Bekah Carlson or leave your name and contact info at the church office.

End Hunger Games
Join The Friendship Center on Sunday, August 11 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Guild Row (3130 N. Rockwell St., just south of the Belmont Avenue bridge between Western and California) for the inaugural End Hunger Games. You’ll get to engage in friendly competition, enjoy good food, bet on amazing raffle items, and help end hunger in our community. Tickets are $35 and are available to purchase online. Visit https://friendshipcenterchicago.org/ehg/ for more information and to secure your spot.

Scripture reader sign-up
We still have a Sunday in August for which we’re seeking people to read the scripture passages of the day in the worship service. If you are willing to be a scripture reader, please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the church office or in the narthex on Sundays, 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. This week we began studying the book of Ecclesiastes. 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 have Zoom available 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

Scripture for next Sunday
Romans 9:14-21

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.