EASTER SUNDAY
March 31, 2024
Worship live on Sundays in person at 11:00 am,
or on YouTube at noon.
PRELUDE
“Jesus Christ is Risen Today”
led by Mary and Cynthia
WELCOME, GREETING, AND COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Luke 24:34
Leader: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
UNISON PRAYER
God of glory, fill Your church with the power that flows from Christ’s resurrection so that, in the midst of the sinful world,
it may signal the beginning of a renewed humanity, risen to new life with Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
* JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TODAY
Jesus Christ is ris’n today, alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, alleluia!
Who did once, upon the cross, alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss, alleluia!
Hymns of praise then let us sing, alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heav’nly King, alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save, alleluia!
But the pains which He endured, alleluia!
Our salvation have procured; alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing: alleluia!
Sing we to our God above, alleluia!
Praise eternal as His love, alleluia!
Praise Him, all you heav’nly host, alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia! Amen.
Covenant Hymnal, #261
EASTER PROCESSION
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Don Hodgkinson
Psalm 118:21-27
21 I thank You that You have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech You, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech You, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and He has given us light.
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON: Don Hodgkinson
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Now I want you to understand, brothers and sisters, the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.
3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures 4 and that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you believed.
* THINE IS THE GLORY
Thine is the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the vict’ry Thou o’er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay.
refrain
Thine is the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the vict’ry Thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom.
Let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
refrain
No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life!
Life is nought without Thee: aid us in our strife.
Make us more than conqu’rors, through Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above.
refrain
Covenant Hymnal, #243
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 16:1-8
Chrysalis!
Pastor Ryan
* JOY DAWNED AGAIN ON EASTER DAY
Joy dawned again on Easter day,
The sun shone out with fairer ray,
When, to their longing eyes restored
Th’apostles saw their risen Lord.
His risen form with radiance glowed,
His wounded hands and side He showed:
Those scars their silent witness gave
That Christ was risen from the grave.
O Jesus, King of gentleness,
Do now our inmost hearts possess;
And we to You will ever raise
The tribute of our grateful praise.
O Lord of all, with us abide
In this our joyful Eastertide;
From ev’ry weapon death can wield
Your own redeemed forever shield.
All praise, O risen Lord, we give
To You, who dead, again now live;
To God the Father equal praise,
And God the Holy Ghost we raise. Amen.
Covenant Hymnal, #241
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
Jamie & Meejeen Kim, serving in South Korea; 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
“Christ the Lord is Risen Today”
Charles Wesley, arr. Joel Hoelscher
led by the choir
Nolan Baumgartner, trumpet
* 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.
* JESUS LIVES, AND SO SHALL I
Jesus lives, and so shall I:
Death, where is your sting so threat’ning?
Jesus for me chose to die,
Turned the grave to life unending.
God shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus is my hope and trust.
Jesus lives: His kingdom come
Over earth as well as heaven.
I shall rule with God’s own Son
Through the grace that shall be given.
God shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus is my hope and trust.
Jesus lives: His death atoned
For my sin; I am forgiven.
Rule my heart, O God enthroned:
May my life be Spirit driven.
God shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus is my hope and trust.
Jesus lives: this truth is sure.
What from Christ can separate me?
Evil’s pow’rs I shall endure;
Death nor hell can thwart my safety.
God shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus is my hope and trust.
Jesus lives: be not afraid!
Take by faith God’s promised surety.
All our sins in Christ are paid:
Death is swallow’d up in victr’ry.
God shall raise me from the dust:
Jesus Christ, our hope and trust!
Covenant Hymnal, #248
* BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
EASTER RECESSION
led by Sam Vetter
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.
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
Acts 1:1-11
Mark 6:7-13
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.