June 16, 2024

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

PRELUDE
“How Great Thou Art”
led by Cynthia

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 22:22-24

Leader: I will declare Your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise You.
People: You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel!
Leader: For He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one;
People: He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

UNISON PRAYER
Abba Father, You have blessed us with life and love!
Lord Jesus, You have blessed us with salvation and joy!
Holy Spirit, You have blessed us with faith and hope!
Father, Son, and Spirit, may we pass on the blessing by glorifying Your holy name and doing our neighbor some good. Amen. 

* HOW GREAT THOU ART
O Lord my God, when I in awe­some won­der
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the roll­ing thun­der,
Thy pow­er through­out the uni­verse dis­played:

refrain
Then sings my soul, my Sav­ior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Sav­ior God, to thee:
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When through the woods and for­est glades I wan­der
And hear the birds sing sweet­ly in the trees;
When I look down from lof­ty moun­tain gran­deur,
And hear the brook and feel the gen­tle breeze:

refrain

And when I think that God, His Son not spar­ing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my bur­den gladl­y bear­ing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

refrain

When Christ shall come with shout of ac­cla­ma­tion
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in hum­ble ad­o­ra­tion,
And there pro­claim, My God, how great Thou art!

Covenant Hymnal, #8

NEW TESTAMENT LESSON: Rod Kutz
Romans 3:21-31

But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, rather through the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? Yes, of gentiles also, 30 since God is one, and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law through this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

* SING PRAISE TO THE FATHER
Sing praise to the Father, Creator, and King,
Whose mercy has taught us a new song to sing;
Who made us, and loved us though rebels and lost,
And planned our redemption at infinite cost
Bless the Lord, bless the Lord,
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
For the grace that redeems,
For the love that makes whole;
O come and adore Him, His glories proclaim,
And worship before Him — the Lord is His name!

Sing praise to the Savior, Redeemer, and Friend,
For grace past all telling, for love without end;
Who stripped off His glory, put on mortal sin,
And died and was ris’n, full atonement to win.
Bless the Lord, bless the Lord,
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
For the grace that redeems,
For the love that makes whole;
O come and adore Him, His glories proclaim,
And worship before Him — the Lord is His name!

Sing praise to the Spirit, the gift of God’s love,
Who quickens our hearts with new life from above,
Who woos us, subdues us, and seals us His own,
And faultless presents us before His great throne
Bless the Lord, bless the Lord,
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
For the grace that redeems,
For the love that makes whole;
O come and adore Him, His glories proclaim,
And worship before Him — the Lord is His name!

Sing praise to the Father, sing praise to the Son,
Sing praise to the Spirit, great God Three in One;
The God of salvation, of glory, of grace,
Who wrought our redemption — my soul, sing His praise.
Bless the Lord, bless the Lord,
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
For the grace that redeems,
For the love that makes whole;
O come and adore Him, His glories proclaim,
And worship before Him — the Lord is His name!

Covenant Hymnal, #108

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
The Two Sons
Matthew 21:28-32
Pastor Ryan

CHILDREN OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER
Children of the heav’nly Father,
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish,
in His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers,
Your Protector never slumbers;
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Covenant Hymnal, #87

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; Kathy Sager; Mary Smith; Iris Velez; and Lauren Vilardo

Ministries & Mission
Joshua & Lori Shinar, serving in Cameroon; Renee Nicholas, serving as the national director for InterVarsity’s Graduate Healthcare Ministries

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
“Give Thanks”
Henry Smith
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.

* WE ARE CALLED
Sing! Sing a new song! Sing of that great day when all will be one!
God will reign, and we will walk with each other,
As sisters and brothers united in love.

refrain
We are called to act with justice,
We are called to love tenderly;
We are called to serve one another,
Walk humbly with God.

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

POSTLUDE
Adagio du Septieme Ton
Jacques Boyvin
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.

New Covenant Home Altar available
The new issue of the Covenant Home Altar, the daily devotional magazine of the Evangelical Covenant Church, is now available for free in the narthex. Pick one up and let it help you with your own devotional life!

Farmers market
Attendance was down at Wednesday’s farmers market for some unknown reason — it was a very hot day, so perhaps that had something to do with it — but there were still more than 600 adults who visited the market as customers, as well as countless children who enjoyed the bounce house, made Father’s Day cards at the art tent, or (especially) enjoyed the water games.

We have openings for RECC greeting tent staff, children’s art tent staff, 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.

Cooler Sundays this summer
The fourth Sunday of each month of summer — June 23, July 28, and August 25 — will be a Cooler Sunday, which will again feature grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and a potluck meal. Please plan to join us as we enjoy these annual warm-weather-month events!

Church garden plots available
Are you a gardener, or would you like to become one? Ravenswood Covenant has free garden plots available along the north boundary of the church parking lot. if you would like to claim a plot, please contact the church office at 773-784-7091 or at office@ravenscov.org.

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!

Scripture reader sign-up
We are seeking people to read the scripture passages of the day as part of the worship services this summer. If you are willing to be a scripture reader in June, July, or August, 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 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
Luke 16:1-13
Romans 4:1-8

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)