March 24, 2024 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

PALM SUNDAY

March 24, 2024

Worship live on Sundays in person at 11:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.

PRELUDE
The Palms
led by Dana and Cynthia

WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
from Mark 11:9-10

Leader: ‘Hosanna!
People: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Leader: Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
People: Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

UNISON PRAYER
We praise and bless You, ever-living God, for the acts of love by which You redeem the world through Jesus Christ our Lord. He entered the holy city of Jerusalem and was proclaimed king by those who spread their garments and palm branches along His way. Let these branches be for us signs of His victory; and grant that we who bear them may always acclaim Jesus Messiah, by walking the way of His suffering and cross; that, dying and rising with Him, we may enter Your kingdom. Amen.

* HOSANNA, LOUD HOSANNA
Hosanna, loud hosanna
The little children sang;
Through pillared court and temple
The lovely anthem rang:
To Jesus, who had blessed them,
Close folded to His breast,
The children sang their praises,
The simplest and the best.

From Olivet they followed
‘mid an exultant crowd,
The victor palm branch waving,
And chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven
Rode on in lowly state,
Nor scorned that little children
Should on His bidding wait.

“Hosanna in the highest!”
That ancient song we sing,
For Christ is our Redeemer,
The Lord of heav’n, our King.
O may we ever praise Him
With heart and life and voice,
And in His blissful presence
Eternally rejoice!

Covenant Hymnal, #228

PROCESSION OF THE PALMS

CHOIR ANTHEM
“Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord”
Theodulph of Orleans (tr. J.M. Neale, arr. Lloyd Larson)

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,
Sing “Hosanna!” to the King of Israel,
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

All glory, laud, and honor
To Thee, Redeemer King!
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring!
Thou art the King of Israel,
Thou David’s royal Son,
Who in the Lord’s name comest,
The King and Blessed One!

Hosanna! Hosanna!
He comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna! Hosanna!
O praise the name of the Lord!

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Bertie Del Angel and Kara Jackson
Psalm 118:14-29

¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my might;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
¹⁶    the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
    the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
¹⁷I shall not die, but I shall live
    and recount the deeds of the Lord.
¹⁸The Lord has punished me severely,
    but He did not give me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.

²⁰This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹I thank You that You have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
²²The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the chief cornerstone.
²³This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵Save us, we beseech You, O Lord!
    O Lord, we beseech You, give us success!

²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷The Lord is God,
    and He has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸You are my God, and I will give thanks to You;
You are my God; I will extol You.

²⁹O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

* HOSANNA! (WILL YOU RISE?)
When the waters rise all around
When the rocks and trees they cry out

chorus
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven

post-chorus
Hosanna, hosanna
Will You rise, will You rise

Fill us with Your breath to renew
To care for what You’ve made as You do

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
Mark 11:1-11
Everyone Loves a Parade
Pastor Ryan

* RIDE ON! RIDE ON IN MAJESTY!
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark! All the tribes hosanna cry.
Thy humble beast pursues Your road,
With palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O’er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
The angel armies of the sky
Look down with sad and wond’ring eyes
To see th’approaching sacrifice.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh.
The Father on His sapphire throne
Awaits His own anointed Son.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,
Then take, O God, Thy pow’r and reign.

Covenant Hymnal, #229

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden; Messian Burgos; Frank Coszach; Vira Coszach; Art & Rosa Hamilton; Trevor Hanks; Bud Hodgkinson; Nancy Popovich’s family; Sara Rosado; Mary Smith; Phillip, son of Iris Velez; Lauren Vilardo; and Drema Widener

Ministries & Mission
Anna & Peter Kim, serving in Taiwan; Carlos & Karen Feijoo, serving in Ecuador

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
The Lord’s Prayer
J.S. Bach
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.

* FOREVER REIGN
You are good, You are good
When there’s nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see

You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, You are true
Even in my wandering

You are joy, You are joy
You’re the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life
In You death has lost its sting

I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to
Your embrace
Light of the world, forever reign

You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I’m made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I’m letting go

My heart will sing no other Name
Jesus, Jesus

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

POSTLUDE
Andantino in G minor
J.S. Bach
led by Cynthia
please remain seated during the postlude

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.

Sign up to clean up!
It’s time for the church’s annual spring clean-up, as we prepare our building and grounds for Easter Sunday. Given that our church is now heavily used by other congregations each weekend, making it difficult to schedule a common work day for cleaning, we are going to do cleaning on an individual basis this year. The Leadership Team has prepared a sign-up sheet that will allow you (and perhaps a few others who would like to work with you on the same task) to take on a specific cleaning task on whatever day and time fits your own personal schedule. Please fill in a space on the sign-up sheet provided in the narthex, or you can sign up online at this link. For further details on these tasks, please contact Kelly Vetter at kevetter1@gmail.com.

Central Conference Annual Meeting delegates wanted
The Central Conference, our local region within the Evangelical Covenant Church that encompasses Illinois, Wisconsin, northern Indiana, eastern Missouri, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, will hold its Annual Meeting on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at Batavia Covenant Church in west suburban Batavia. If you are a member of Ravenswood Covenant and are interested in being a delegate from our church to this annual celebration and business meeting of our conference, please contact Pastor Ryan or Gregory Sager in the church office no later than April 12.

All delegate costs (registration fee, mileage, meals) will be reimbursed by the church.

Covenant Annual Meeting delegates wanted
Our parent denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church, will hold its Annual Meeting, called Gather 2024, on June 26-29 at the Cincinnati Marriott Hotel in Covington, KY (across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati). If you are a member of Ravenswood Covenant and are interested in being a delegate from our church to this annual celebration and business meeting of our conference, please contact Pastor Ryan or another member of the church’s Leadership Team, or Gregory Sager in the church office. Ravenswood Covenant will hold a congregational meeting on Sunday, June 9 at which delegates will be chosen to represent us at Gather 2024.

Covenant Annual Meetings now provide the option for delegates to attend either in-person or virtually. If you are unable to travel to the Cincinnati Marriott to attend Gather 2024 in person, you can still represent our congregation and take part in the meetings via a video link. Please note, however, that if you do choose to be a virtual delegate you will be expected to remain at your computer and fully participate in the meeting whether you are at home, at work, at church, or someplace else.

All costs for in-person delegates (registration fee, lodging, mileage, meals) will be reimbursed by the church. The registration fee for virtual delegates will be reimbursed by the church as well.

Farmers market is returning!
Our farmers market will be back this summer and fall, and this year it will commence in the spring as well! We’re moving the start of the market forward to Wednesday, May 8, so it’s not too early to think about volunteering. 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.

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!

Sunday School and Faith Forum
Sunday School and Faith Forum meets at 10:00 am every week, unless otherwise noted. Come join us as we gather together to learn and grow in faith every Sunday morning.

Scripture reader sign-up
We are seeking people to read the scripture passages of the day as part of the worship services this coming spring. If you are willing to be a scripture reader in April, May, or June, 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. We are studying the Gospel of Mark. 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
Mark 16:1-8
Psalm 118:21-27
1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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.