March 19, 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 Erin
WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 19
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
People: Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
Leader: There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
People: Yet their voice goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.
Leader: In the heavens He has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
People: Its rising is from the end of the heavens
and its circuit to the end of them,
and nothing is hid from its heat.
Leader: The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
People: The decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
People: The commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
Leader: The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;
People: The ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.
Leader: More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
People: Sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Leader: Moreover, by them is Your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
People: But who can detect one’s own errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
Leader: Keep back Your servant also from the insolent;
do not let them have dominion over me.
People: Then I shall be blameless
and innocent of great transgression.
ALL: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love
refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside
refrain
Covenant Hymnal, #78
* GOSPEL LESSON
John 1:1-17
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to what was His own, and His own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because He was before me.’ ”) 16 From His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[e] 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Reader: The word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God!
THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD IS JESUS
The whole world was lost In the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Like sunshine at noon-day, His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!
refrain
Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!
No darkness have we who in Jesus abide;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
We walk in the light When we follow our Guide!
The Light of the world is Jesus!
refrain
Ye dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Go, wash, at His bidding, and light will arise.
The Light of the world is Jesus!
refrain
No need of the sunlight in Heaven we’re told;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
The Lamb is the Light in the city of gold,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Phillip Paul Bliss (public domain, courtesy of the Cyber HymnalTM)
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Pastor Mark
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.
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Deuteronomy 4:1-31
“So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. 3 You have seen for yourselves what the Lord did with regard to the Baal of Peor, how the Lord your God destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, 4 while those of you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today.
5 “See, just as the Lord my God has charged me, I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. 6 You must observe them and perform them, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ 7 For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to Him? 8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?
9 “But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children— 10 how you once stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people for Me, and I will let them hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me as long as they live on the earth and may teach their children so’; 11 you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain while the mountain was blazing up to the very heavens, shrouded in dark clouds. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, which He charged you to observe, that is, the ten commandments, and He wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the Lord charged me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy.
15 “Since you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, watch yourselves closely, 16 so that you do not act corruptly by making an idol for yourselves in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And when you look up to the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, do not be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples everywhere under heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron smelter, out of Egypt, to become a people of His very own possession, as you are now.
21 “The Lord was angry with me because of you, and He vowed that I should not cross the Jordan and that I should not enter the good land that the Lord your God is giving for your possession. 22 For I am going to die in this land without crossing over the Jordan, but you are going to cross over to take possession of that good land. 23 So be careful, lest you forget the covenant that the Lord your God made with you and make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
25 “When you have had children and children’s children and become complacent in the land, if you act corruptly by making an idol in the form of anything, thus doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God and provoking Him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to occupy; you will not live long on it but will be utterly destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples; only a few of you will be left among the nations where the Lord will lead you. 28 There you will serve gods made by human hands, objects of wood and stone that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search after Him with all your heart and soul. 30 In your distress, when all these things have happened to you in time to come, you will return to the Lord your God and heed Him. 31 Because the Lord your God is a merciful God, He will neither abandon you nor destroy you; He will not forget the covenant with your ancestors that He swore to them.”
REFLECTING ON THE WORD
“But If from Thence”: The Gospel According to Moses
T.R. Ahlstrom
PROMISES
God of Abraham, You’re the God of covenant
Of faithful promises
Time and time again You have proven
You do just what You say
pre-chorus
Though the storms may come
And the winds may blow
I’ll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn when You speak a word
It will come to pass
chorus
Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me
From the rising sun to the setting same
I will praise Your name
Great is Your faithfulness to me
God from age to age
Though the earth may pass away
Your word remains the same yeah
Your history can prove
There’s nothing You can’t do
You’re faithful and true
I put my faith in Jesus
My anchor to the ground
My hope and firm foundation
He’ll never let me down
CCLI Song # 7149439
Aaron Moses | Dante Bowe | Joe L. Barnes | Keila Alvarado | Lemuel Marin | Phillip Carrington Gaines © 2020 Bethel Worship Publishing (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing) Maverick City Publishing (Admin. by Bethel Music Publishing) Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) ForTheDreamers Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) JDW Legacy Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) Aaron Moses Chiriboga Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) Remaining portion is unaffiliated
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
Carl & Karen Groot, serving in Thailand; 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
Andante from Symphony No. 5 (The Reformation Symphony)
Felix Mendelssohn
led by Bob Kenehan 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.
* HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He has said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed,
For I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
Upheld by My gracious omnipotent hand.”
“When through the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with you in trouble to bless,
And sanctify to you your deepest distress.”
“When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be your supply;
The flame shall not hurt you; I only design
Your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.”
“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”
Covenant Hymnal, #437
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Andante
Henry Purcell
led by Bob Kenehan and Cynthia
INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.
We welcome guest musician Bob Kenehan to our worship service today. Bob is principal horn of the Lake Forest Civic Orchestra and a colleague of Cynthia Arden.
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 today, 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 next 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 this coming 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 25:31-46
Psalm 98:7-9
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.