June 18, 2023 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

June 18, 2023

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

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE
“God of Our Fathers”
led by Erin and Cynthia

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
from Isaiah 40:6-11

Leader: A voice says, “Cry out!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
People: All flesh is grass;
    their constancy is like the flower of the field.
Leader: The grass withers; the flower fades,
    when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
    surely the people are grass.
People: The grass withers; the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.
Leader: Get you up to a high mountain,
    O Zion, herald of good news;
People: Lift up your voice with strength,
    O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
    lift it up, do not fear;
Leader: Say to the cities of Judah,
    “Here is your God!”
People: See, the Lord God comes with might,
    and His arm rules for Him;
His reward is with Him
    and His recompense before Him.
Leader: He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
    He will gather the lambs in His arms
ALL: And carry them in His bosom
    and gently lead the mother sheep.

SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US
Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray.

Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse and pow’r to free:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.

Early let us seek Thy favor,
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Thy love our beings fill:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.

Covenant Hymnal, #407

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Isaiah 55:1-13

Hear, everyone who thirsts;
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread
    and your earnings for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to Me;
    listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    My steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵Now you shall call nations that you do not know,
    and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
    for He has glorified you.

⁶Seek the Lord while He may be found;
    call upon Him while He is near;
⁷let the wicked forsake their way
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that He may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
⁸For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are My ways higher than your ways
    and My thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall My word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to Me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹²For you shall go out in joy
    and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall burst into song,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle,
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
    for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

* GOSPEL LESSON
John 4:13-14

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

Reader: The word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God!

COME TO THE WATER
O let all who thirst,
Let them come to the water.
And let all who have nothing,
Let them come to the Lord:
Without money, without price.
Why should you pay the price,
Except for the Lord?

And let all who seek,
Let them come to the water.
And let all who have nothing,
Let them come to the Lord:
Without money, without strife.
Why should you spend your life,
Except for the Lord?

And let all who toil,
Let them come to the water.
And let all who are weary,
Let them come to the Lord:
All who labor, without rest.
How can your soul find rest,
Except for the Lord?

And let all the poor,
Let them come to the water,
Bring the ones who are laden,
Bring them all to the Lord:
Bring the children without might.
Easy the load and light:
Come to the Lord.

Come to the Lord
Come to the Lord
Come to the Lord

CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Erin Stoel

JESUS LOVES ME
Jesus loves me! This I know
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Covenant Hymnal, #443

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.

FATHER’S DAY REFLECTIONS
Bekah Carlson
Gregory Sager
Dana Jackson
Lisa Kindstrom

EVERY MOTHER, EVERY FATHER
Every mother, every father
Called to raise up sons or daughters
May your heart be patient
May your mind be clear
May our God be with you and calm your fears

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Messian Burgos, Frank Coszach, Vira Coszach, James Egan, Pedro Gomez, Art & Rosa Hamilton, the Michael family, Nancy Popovich’s stepdaughter, Kathy Sager, Mary Smith, Steve Staurseth, and Phillip, son of Iris Velez

Ministries & Mission
Joshua & Lori Shinar, serving in Cameroon; 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
“He’s Ever Over Me”
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.

* YOU SHALL GO OUT WITH JOY
You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace,
And the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you.
There’ll be shouts of joy and the trees of the field
Shall clap, shall clap their hands.

And the trees of the field shall clap their hands,
And the trees of the field shall clap their hands,
And the trees of the field shall clap their hands,
And you’ll go out with joy.

Covenant Hymnal, #663

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

POSTLUDE
Chaconne
Louis Couperin
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.

Farmers market is here!
The 2023 season of the Ravenswood Farmers Market kicked off last Wednesday, and was a sensational success! Nearly 800 adults, more than we had for any Wednesday last year, were present to enjoy our newly-expanded market … and, of course, there were plenty of kids and dogs as well!

The market will run until mid-October every Wednesday (except for Fourth of July week) from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in our parking lot. This year the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce has taken over locating and contacting possible vendors for the market, so we anticipate a busier and more crowded market than has been true since Covid hit.

If you are interested in the farmers market and would like to be a part of this way for us as a church to interact with our surrounding community and provide a valuable service to them as well as a place to meet and greet neighbors every Wednesday during the warm-weather months, please contact the church office or our market director, Bekah Carlson.

A patriotic party!
Join the Lake County Symphony Orchestra, which features RECC’s own Cynthia Arden as concertmaster, at Buffalo Creek Brewing (360 Historical Lane in north suburban Long Grove) at 7:00 pm on July 4 for their annual musical Fourth of July musical celebration! They can’t wait to spend our country’s big day with you and your family! The evening features a diverse program with some of our country’s biggest musical forces including Bernstein, Sousa, Gershwin, and Copland! Also, it just wouldn’t be a musical Fourth without Tchaikovsky’s iconic “1812 Overture” which they will of course play for you!

The raindate is July 9 at 5:00 pm. For tickets, use the link below.

Tickets

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.

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. 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!

Aid for Ukrainian refugees
Jeremy and Amanda Foster, who have attended our church in the past, 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.

Here is the latest message from Don Foster:

Hello friends,
Below is a message from the Ukrainians living here in Hazebrouck.
God bless,

Don and Béa

Hello everybody
I want to say my huge thanks to all of you. You are all incredible people. You do so many things for me and my family.
We have been living in a new apartment for almost three weeks and we like it very much. This would not be possible without all of you
When I understand how you helped us and how much people do for this apartment I feel grateful for everything you do.
I’m very glad to have met Don, Beatrice, their family and all of you.
I hope one day I can see all of you and say thank you in real life.

Kate

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 have just begun studying the Gospel of Mark. 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 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 June
June 4: Mary Spriggs
June 11: Pastor Mark
June 18: TBA
June 25: Pastor Mark

Scripture for next Sunday
Luke 4:16-21
Isaiah 61:1-11

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.