June 19, 2022

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE
led by Dana

THE FATHER’S HOUSE
Sometimes on this journey …

WELCOME & GREETING, COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
based on Psalm 68
Leader: Come, sing praises to God!
Rejoice in His presence!
For He is our God: a Father to the fatherless,
and the defender of all who need protection;
the One in whom the lonely find a home,
and the prisoner finds release.
People: Bless the Lord,
the God of our salvation,
who sustains and strengthens us,
day after day!
All: Let’s worship God together!

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

Oh, oh
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
Oh, oh

 Bruce Benedict / Andy Bast The Porter’s Gate

GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
Matthew 22:34-40

 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

* THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT
Love the Lord your God
With all your heart and soul and mind
And love your neighbor as yourself

Let us be known, let us be known
By the way we love

Love love love the greatest commandment is
Love love love the greatest commandment is
Love love love the greatest commandment is (love)

CCLI Song # 7133722 Paul Zach © Integrity’s Alleluia! Music (Admin. by Integrity Music)Paul Zach Publishing (Admin. by Integrity Music)

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Exodus 20:3-11

You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.

CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Pastor Denise

Children 6 and under are dismissed to the gym

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.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Michael Bucci, Barb Cannon, Art & Rosa Hamilton, the Koeller family, Mary McKirchy, Shirley Nicholas, Mary Smith, the Staurseth family, Esther Stoel, our campers this week (Kara Jackson) and next week (Ella Brask and Svea Johnson), and the family of Joyce Andrews

Ministries & Mission
Carolyn & Jeffrey Stoker, 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 & OFFERING
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle® to: giving
@administrator

OFFERTORY
“As the Deer”
Robin Mark
led by Leah, 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.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
Do Remember — Don’t Forget
Pastor LeRoy Carlson

TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY
Take time to be holy,
Speak oft with your Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children;
Help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy,
The world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret
With Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus,
Like Him you shall be;
Your friends in your conduct
His likeness will see.

Take time to be holy,
Let Him be your guide,
And run not before Him,
Whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow,
Still follow your Lord,
And looking to Jesus,
Still trust in His Word.

Covenant Hymnal, #377

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

POSTLUDE
“Take Time to Be Holy”
George Stebbins
led by Cynthia

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

music as we go, by axiom.brass

Worship update
Due to an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Chicago, the Leadership Team of Ravenswood Covenant Church recommends mask use during services, but this is not mandatory.

Ravenswood Covenant will continue to livestream worship each week on YouTube and Facebook; this is now a permanent feature of our ministry, so Sunday morning worship will remain accessible to anyone who has Internet access.

Farmers market
This past Wednesday was the first farmers market of 2022, and it was a success despite the heat wave! Even though the 99-degree temperature kept most Chicagoans indoors, we still had a turnout of about 230 adults, plus a lot of kids who were excited about using the bounce house and our water play area. We welcomed back many old favorites among our vendors, as well as some new merchants participating in their first Ravenswood Farmers Market.

The farmers market season will run until our annual fall festival on Wednesday, October 12. (We will take a week off on Wednesday, July 6 as part of Independence Day week.) This year’s markets will run from 4 pm to 7 pm, and as always they will be held in the church parking lot.

We are still looking for market volunteers to help out with set-up, assisting with kids activities, and take-down on Wednesdays. If you can assist, even if it’s only for one Wednesday, please contact Bekah Carlson, Pastor Denise, or the church office.

Delores Staurseth (1936-2022)
Many have asked about the memorial service for Pastor Phil’s mother, Delores, who died peacefully surrounded by family last Sunday morning. A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 30 at 11:00 am at Central Assembly of God, 3000 Hammond Avenue, Superior, WI, with the Rev. Clyde Harvey as officiant.  A graveside interment will be held prior to the service at 9:45 am at Greenwood Cemetery in Superior. Further details are forthcoming.

Memorials may be directed in Delores’ memory to Covenant Park Bible Camp or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.

Peace to her memory.

Cooler Sunday
Our first Cooler Sunday of summer 2022 will be next Sunday, June 26. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and drinks will be provided; please plan to bring a side or dessert to pass. Join us after worship next Sunday for food and fellowship!

Tacos and Tunes
Our next Tacos and Tunes gathering will be Friday, July 8, in the parking lot from 5:30 to 7 pm. Chef Bobby will be preparing the tacos, the playground will be open for the kids, and we’ll have live, family-friendly music as well from farmers market favorite Teel Short. As is the case for Thursday night community dinners, the suggested donation for Tacos and Tunes is $5 per person or $10 per family. Plan to join us!.

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

Wanted: Church directory coordinator
Ravenswood Covenant is in the process of updating its online church directory, with the intention of eventually making paper copies of the directory available. We are seeking a volunteer who is willing to take on this project, which means gathering information and photographs and inputting them onto the church’s WordPress-based website. If you are interested in coordinating the directory update, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at 773-784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org.

Thursday evening adult Bible study
Our weekly Bible study meets on Thursday evenings at 7 pm. We are currently studying the book of Romans. We welcome anybody to the upstairs lounge on Thursday evenings who wants to take part in the Bible study. If you would prefer to participate remotely, or if you are out of town, the Bible study will continue to provide Zoom access as well for online participants.

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 June
June 5: Pastor Kevin Swanson
June 12: Pastor Denise
June 19: Rev. LeRoy Carlson
June 26: Chaplain Eric Hillabrant

Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 22:34-40
Exodus 20:12-16

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)