March 26, 2023 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

March 26, 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 98:4-9
Leader: Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
People: Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody.
Leader: With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
People: Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
    the world and those who live in it.
Leader: Let the floods clap their hands;
    let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the Lord, for He is coming
    to judge the earth.
ALL: He will judge the world with righteousness
    and the peoples with equity.

THE RIVER IS HERE
Down the mountain the river flows
And it brings refreshing wherever it goes
Through the valleys and over the fields
The river is rushing and the river is here

chorus
The river of God sets our feet a-dancing
The river of God fills our hearts with cheer
The river of God fills our mouths with laughter
And we rejoice for the river is here

The river of God is teeming with life
And all who touch it can be revived
And those who linger on this river’s shore
Will come back thirsting for more of the Lord

Up to the mountain we love to go
To find the presence of the Lord
Along the banks of the river we run
We dance with laughter giving praise to the Son

* GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and He will put the sheep at His right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave Me clothing, I was sick and you took care of Me, I was in prison and You visited me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw You hungry and gave You food or thirsty and gave You something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw You a stranger and welcomed You or naked and gave You clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw You sick or in prison and visited You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did it to Me.’ ⁴¹Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from Me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not give Me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of You?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”

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

HE IS AMONG US
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
‘Til you open up the door

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

bridge
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
He is among us, He is among us

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

A Song by Porter’s Gate

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.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
This is Good News?
Pastor Mark

WHOSOE’ER, ANYWHERE
Whosoe’er, anywhere
Seeks, may find salvation.
‘Tis the word of our Lord
Unto ev’ry nation.

Now behold Christ the bold
Frees us from death’s anguish.
Suff’ring, he enternally
Satan’s pow’r did vanquish.

Hear him call unto all,
“Give me your heart’s keeping.”
Frm this day and for aye
Both in joy and weeping.

Don’t delay, come today
To the Father loving.
Shun despair, trust His care,
Sin and shame removing.

Yes, our Lord sends the word
Unto ev’re nation.:
Whosoe’er, anywhere
Seeks, may find salvation.

Covenant Hymnal, #337

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
Responsive prayer: Covenant Hymnal, #904

We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Messian Burgos, LeRoy Carlson, Frank Coszach, Vira Coszach, Pedro Gomez, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Mary McKirchy, Nona Michael and the Michael family, our Pastoral Search Committee, Mary Smith, and Steve Staurseth

Ministries & Mission
Marta Klein, serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 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 & OFFERINGS
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle^® to: giving@ravenscov.org

OFFERTORY CHOIR ANTHEM
“Lamb of God”
Twila Paris, arr. Craig Courtney
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.

* I HAVE A FUTURE ALL SUBLIME
I have a future all sublime,
Beyond the realms of space and time,
Where my Redeemer I shall see,
And sorrow nevermore shall be.

A precious heritage is mine,
In heaven kept by love divine;
What serves me best, while here below,
My Father will provide, I know.

Now peace and joy within me dwell;
I sing with gladness, “All is well!”
Protected, guided by His might,
He leads me to the land of light.

Dear Lord, I pray that I may be
More wholly yielded unto Thee
While on the way I yet remain,
Before my heav’nly home I gain. Amen.

Covenant Hymnal, #743

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

POSTLUDE
Moderato in F
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.

Church clean-up days
Every spring before Easter we try as a congregation to clean as much of the church building and the grounds.as we can, as thoroughly as we can. With so many other groups and congregations now using the building as well, this becomes even more important. To that end, we have scheduled a number of clean-up days between now and Palm Sunday. We are looking for people to join our cleaning crew next Thursday and Friday evenings (March 30 and 31) and on the morning of Saturday, April 1 (the day before Palm Sunday), when we will devote our time and effort to the church grounds.

If you would like to work in one or more of these clean-up events, please contact the church office at 773-784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org, or talk to our clean-up crew chief, Roger Olsen, today.

Congregational business meeting
A congregational business meeting has been scheduled for today, 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.

Lake County Symphony Orchestra concert
The Lake County Symphony Orchestra, featuring our own Cynthia Arden, will be performing “A Celebration of Classical Jazz”, featuring Mussorgky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, in concert at the Gurnee Community Church, 4555 Old Grand Ave. in Gurnee, on April 22 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 presale and $25 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased at www.lakecountysymphonyorchestra.com.

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. Watch this space for the date of our next community dinner! 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 21:1-17
Psalm 98:7-9

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.