June 2, 2024
Worship live on Sundays in person at 11:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.
PRELUDE
“How Great Thou Art”
led by Leslie and Cynthia
WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
Psalm 1:1-3
Leader: Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers, but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law they meditate day and night.
People: They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
UNISON PRAYER
Almighty God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to teach us how to live. Send Your Holy Spirit to inspire us to new life in this world and eternal life in the world to come. Unite us into a worshiping congregation that welcomes and blesses all of Your beloved children. Amen.
* HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD
chorus
How great is our God!
Sing with me:
How great is our God!
And all will see how great,
How great is our God
The splendor of the King
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice
He wraps Himself in light
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
And trembles at His voice
chorus
And age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the End
Beginning and the End
The Godhead three in one
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb
chorus
bridge
Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God
CCLI Song # 4348399
Chris Tomlin / Ed Cash / Jesse Reeves
© 2004 Rising Springs Music
* HOW GREAT THOU ART
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!
Covenant Hymnal, #8
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON: Stacey Johnson
Romans 1:1-10
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of His name, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of His Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, 10 asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
* JESUS LOVES ME! THIS I KNOW
Jesus loves me! This I know
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong.
refrain
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Covenant Hymnal, #443
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 Sower
Luke 8:4-15
Pastor Ryan
BE THOU MY VISION
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, Thy child shall I be,
Thou in me dwelling, and I one with Thee.
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. Amen.
Covenant Hymnal, #412
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
Max McClure, serving in the Czech Republic; Barb & Steve Swanson, serving in Sweden
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
Prelude No. 6
Frédéric Chopin
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.
CALL TO COMMUNION
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.
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
Come to this sacred table, not because you must, but because you may; come to testify not that you are righteous, but that you sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ and desire to be His true disciples; come not because you are strong, but because you are weak; not because you have any claim on the grace of God, but because in your frailty and sin you stand in constant need of God’s mercy and help; come, not to express an opinion, but to seek God’s presence and pray for the Spirit.”
CONFESSION OF SIN
God has promised forgiveness to all who truly repent, turn to Christ in faith, and are themselves forgiving. In silence let us call to mind our sins.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
COME, SHARE THE LORD
We gather here
In Jesus’ name,
His love is burning in our hearts
Like living flame;
For through his loving Son
The Father makes us one:
Come, take the bread,
Come, drink the wine,
Come, share the Lord.
No one is a stranger here
Ev’ry one belongs;
Finding our forgiveness here,
We in turn forgive all wrongs.
He joins us here,
He breaks the bread,
The Lord who pours the cup
Is risen from the dead;
The one we love the most
Is now our gracious host:
Come, take the bread,
Come, drink the wine,
Come, share the Lord.
We are now a family
Of which the Lord is head;
Though unseen he meets us here
In the breaking of the bread.
We’ll gather soon
Where angels sing;
We’ll see the glory of our Lord
And coming King;
Now we anticipate
The feast for which we wait:
Come, take the bread,
Come, drink the wine,
Come, share the Lord.
Covenant Hymnal, #568
BREAKING THE BREAD AND POURING THE CUP
Is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Is not the cup that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ?
The gifts of God for the people of God — take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on Him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
* WE ARE CALLED
Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom,
To live in the freedom of the city of God.
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
Largo
Gilles Jullien
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.
Summer worship schedule
Today we move to our summer worship schedule. From today through Labor Day weekend, the worship hour will begin at 10:00 am and there will be no Sunday School or Faith Forum. This is to enable worship to take place while the sanctuary is more cool and comfortable, as well as to give the congregation more time to enjoy summer daylight hours.
Upcoming congregational meeting
A congregational business meeting will be held next Sunday, June 9, following the worship service. New members of the Leadership Team and the nominating committee will be voted upon at this meeting. Please make plans to attend if you are a member of the church.
An updated special invitation to the women of Ravenswood Covenant
The women of Ravenswood Covenant are welcome to an afternoon of fellowship next Saturday, June 8 at Janice Erickson’s house in Lake Geneva, hosted by Kari Johnson, Stacey Johnson, and Janice. This was originally planned for yesterday, but was moved to next Saturday due to a forecast of inclement weather for Lake Geneva yesterday. Coffee will be ready at 11:30 am and lunch begins at 12:00 pm. After lunch we will spend time at the lake walking along the shore path or sitting in the park watching the boats go by. Bring walking shoes and a jacket if it is cool. Later in the afternoon we will return to Janice’s house for fika (coffee and treats) before returning home around 4:00 pm. Please RSVP if you are coming. If you need a ride, please contact Kari, Stacey, Janice, or the church office.
We hope to see you on June 8. We will reschedule in case of rain.
Janice Erickson
N2394 Greenleaf Drive
Lake Geneva, WI
Janice.erickson@att.net
312-415-4087
Farmers market is here!
Unseasonably cool weather kept attendance down a bit at Wednesday’s farmers market, but we still had about 650 adults who visited the market, not to mention all of the children who as usual enjoyed the bounce house, art tent, and water play area in our parking lot!
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 12:13-21
Romans 2:1-11
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.