March 12, 2023 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

March 12, 2023

Worship live on Sundays in person,
or on YouTube at 10:45 am.

Children’s Sunday School for ages K-7th grade at 9:30 am in-person.
Faith Forum (adult Sunday School) at 9:30 am in person and on Zoom.

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE
led by Dana

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 45:6-8

Leader: Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
People: You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
ALL: Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad!

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR!
Beautiful Savior! King of creation!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’ll love Thee, truly I’ll serve Thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming flow’rs of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer;
He makes our sorrow’ng spirit sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine! Amen.

Covenant Hymnal, #317

* GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. ⁴Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ ⁵But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. ⁸Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, ¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. ¹³Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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

HE IS AMONG US (THE LEAST OF THESE)
You’ll find Me with the broken and the weak
In the spaces in between
You’ll hear My voice cry out with those who weep
Only if you’re listening

chorus
Whatever you do for the least of these
You do it unto Me

You’ll find Me with the ones without a voice
The forgotten and ignored
My blessing is on those who love the poor
Will you open up the door

chorus

bridge
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us He is among us
(repeat)

tag
By this the world will know the Father’s love
We will know the Father’s love

CCLI Song # 7133720 Andy Piercy | Isaac Wardell | John Swinton | Orlando Palmer | Paul Zach © Common Hymnal Publishing (Admin. by Integrity Music) IAMSON Productions (Admin. by Integrity Music) Integrity Worship Music (Admin. by Integrity Music) Integrity’s Alleluia! Music (Admin. by Integrity Music) Paul Zach Publishing (Admin. by Integrity Music) PG Songs And Hymns (Admin. by Integrity Music)

CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Erin Stoel

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.

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.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
The Wedding Feast
Pastor Mark

WHERE CROSS THE CROWDED WAYS OF LIFE
Where cross the crowded ways of life,
Where sound the cries of race and clan,
Above the noise of selfish strife,
We hear Your voice, O Son of Man.

In haunts of wretchedness and need,
On shadowed thresholds fraught with fears,
From paths where hide the lures of greed,
We catch the vision of Your tears.

From tender childhood’s helplessness,
From woman’s grief, man’s burdened toil,
From famished souls, from sorrow’s stress,
Your heart has never known recoil.

The cup of water giv’n for You
Still holds the freshness of Your grace;
Yet long these multitudes to view
The sweet compassion of Your face.

O Master, from the mountainside,
Make haste to heal these hearts of pain;
Among these restless throngs abide;
O tread the city’s streets again;

Till all the world shall learn Your love,
And follow where Your feet have trod;
Till glorious from Your heav’n above
Shall come the city of our God! Amen.

Covenant Hymnal, #622

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Messian Burgos, Frank Coszach, Vira Coszach, Pedro Gomez, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Mary McKirchy, Nona Michael and the Michael family, Shirley Nicholas, our Pastoral Search Committee, Mary Smith, and Steve Staurseth

Ministries & Mission
Peter & Ruth Dutton, serving in Thailand; 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 CHOIR ANTHEM
“Behold the Lamb”
Keith & Kristyn Getty

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.

* WAY MAKER
You are here moving in our midst
I worship You, I worship You
You are here working in this place
I worship You, I worship You

chorus
(You are) Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper
Light in the darkness, my God, that is who You are

You are here touching ev’ry heart
I worship You, I worship You
You are here healing ev’ry heart
I worship You, I worship You

chorus

You are here turning lives around
I worship You, I worship You
You are here mending ev’ry heart
I worship You, yeah, I worship You, Lord

tag
That is who You are
That is who You are
That is who You are
That is who You are

bridge
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working

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

POSTLUDE
Moderato in C
J.S. Bach
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.

Easter lilies
This is the time of year to think about ordering lilies to decorate the front of the church on Easter Sunday while also honoring or memorializing loved ones.

If you would like, you can honor or memorialize loved ones by giving a donation to the church to help offset the cost of these flowers. If you choose to do so, please contact the church office at 773-784-7091 or at office@ravenscov.org to indicate who you would like to honor or memorialize. Alternatively, there will be an order form that you can fill out in the narthex on Sundays. The order deadline is next Sunday, March 19. You may take your flowers home after the service on Easter Sunday.

Congregational business meeting
A congregational business meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, March 26, following the worship service. This meeting is to select Ravenswood Covenant’s delegates to the conference and denominational annual meetings, as well as to hear an update from the pastoral search committee. Please make plans to be present, either in person or via Zoom, as we do the business of God’s church.

Choir resumes for Easter season
The church choir is now rehearsing in preparation for the Lenten and Easter seasons. It isn’t too late to join! Choir rehearsal is at 8:30 am on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary. Everyone is encouraged to participate, regardless of experience or music-reading ability.

Community Dinners
Thursday night community dinners are our main community gathering occasions during the work week. Our community dinners for this month will be held on Thursday, March 23. The suggested donation for the dinner is $5 for individuals and $10 for families.

Indoor Playground
Indoor Playground is back! Our weekly cold-weather opportunity to let young children run around in our gym, play with toys, and use the bounce house has begun again. Indoor Playground will be open every Thursday afternoon from 4:30 to 5:30 pm.

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

Thursday evening Bible study
The weekly Bible study meets Thursdays at 7 pm. We are currently studying the book of Romans. 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 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 March
March 5: Eliza Stiles
March 12: Pastor Mark
March 19: T.R. Ahlstrom
March 26: Pastor Mark

Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 25:1-13
Psalm 43:3-4

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.