March 3, 2024
Worship live on Sundays in person at 11:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.
PRELUDE
led by Dana
WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 86:8-11
Leader: There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours.
People: All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.
Leader: For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
People: Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere Your name.
UNISON PRAYER
God forgives and heals us. We need Your healing, merciful God: give us true repentance. Some sins are plain to us; some escape us; some we cannot face. Forgive us; set us free to hear Your word to us; set us free to serve You. Amen.
* TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE CONSECRATED
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my wealth, all I possess;
Make me rich in faithfulness.
Take my mind, that I may use
Ev’ry power as Thou shalt choose,
Ev’ry power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my motives and my will,
All Thy purpose to fulfill.
Take my heart — it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; Lord, I will pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
Thine for all eternity,
Thine for all eternity.
Covenant Hymnal, #375
* GOSPEL LESSON: Rod Kutz
Mark 12:1-11
Then He began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went away. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
* GOD THE MAKER
We bring our time, we bring our treasure
We lay them down before Your throne
You will make them something greater
More than we could ever know
We bring our gifts, we bring our power
Place them in Your sov’reign hand
You will take what we have given
You will use it for Your plan
chorus
Glory be to God the Maker
Glory be to God Creator
Take our time use our treasure
Turn them into something greater
Glory be to God the Maker
Though our hearts are weak from failure
Broken dreams and failed attempts
Show us that in ev’ry season
You will fill our emptiness
CCLI Song # 7097863 CCLI License # 349090
David Gungor | Isaac Wardell | Paul Zach © Hymns From The Porter’s Gate
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 12:12-17
Strange Bedfellows
Pastor Ryan
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; and Lauren Vilardo
Ministries & Mission
Grant & Miho Buchholtz, serving in Japan; 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
“Behold the Lamb”
Getty/Getty/Townend
led by the choir
* 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.
* AS WE GATHER AT YOUR TABLE
As we gather at Your table,
As we listen to Your Word,
Help us know, O God, Your presence;
Let our hearts and minds be stirred.
Nourish us with sacred story
Till we claim it as our own;
Teach us through this holy banquet
How to make love’s victory known.
Turn our worship into witness
In the sacrament of life;
Send us forth to love and serve You,
Bringing peace where there is strife.
Give us, Christ, Your great compassion
To forgive as you forgave;
May we still behold Your image
In the world You died to save.
Grant us vision, gracious Spirit,
Seeking guests to share that feast
Where triumphant love will welcome
Those who had been last and least.
There no more will envy blind us
Nor will pride our peace destroy,
As we join with saints and angels
To repeat the sounding joy.
Covenant Hymnal, #551
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
Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God! Many will come from east and west and from north and south and sit at table in the kingdom of God. This is the Lord’s Table. Our Savior invites those who trust Him to share the feast He has prepared. According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at table with His disciples, He took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.
CONFESSION OF SIN
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your name. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.
PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS
We do not presume to come to this Your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Your table. But You are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the bread and drink the cup that we may evermore dwell in Him and He in us. Amen.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Hear the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as they are delivered by the apostle Paul: “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
* JESUS, BREAD OF LIFE
Jesus, bread of life, manna from heaven
Broken for the world
Offered up for every man
The feast of angels
Becomes food for the weary
And hungry hearts are filled
When You open up Your hand
When You open up Your hand
chorus
O Lord, come fill us with your love
This table laid for us
There is more than enough
O Jesus, bread of life
Sister, take what you need, anything I own
There is no famine here, Jesus’ love will multiply
Brother, what’s mine is yours, you are not alone
There is no shortage here, Jesus’ love will satisfy
Jesus’ love will satisfy
CCLI Song # 7138305 CCLI License # 349090
Audrey Assad | Fernando Ortega© 2019 Fortunate Fall Music
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Allegro in C
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.
Glenn Kaiser at Ravenswood Covenant
On Sunday, March 17 Ravenswood Covenant will be blessed to have Glenn Kaiser present to preach as well as to help lead worship with a couple of his songs. A Covenant pastor, one of the ministers and leaders of Jesus People USA for half a century, and a world-famous singer/guitarist/songwriter both solo and as a member of the Resurrection Band (aka Rez Band or just plain REZ), Glenn has lived a remarkable life of sharing the Good News with non-Christians as well as challenging Christians with timely truth-telling lyrics and preaching.
Choir is back!
It’s still cold outside, but the spring season of our church choir is upon us! The choir has begun rehearsing for the Lenten and Holy Week seasons. The choir rehearses every Sunday at 9:00 am during choir seasons, and choir membership remains open to anyone who loves to sing. Consider joining us this spring!
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 for the first quarter of 2024. If you are willing to be a scripture reader, please add your name to the sign-up sheet in the church office 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 12:38-44
Mark 12:28-37
Psalm 89:1-4
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.