Worship live on Sundays in person,
or on Facebook & 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.
November 6, 2022
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
PRELUDE
led by Dana
WELCOME & GREETING, COMMUNITY LIFE
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 30
Leader: I will extol you, O Lord, for You have drawn me up
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
People: O Lord my God, I cried to You for help,
and You have healed me.
Leader: O Lord, You brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
People: Sing praises to the Lord, O you His faithful ones,
and give thanks to His holy name.
Leader: For His anger is but for a moment;
His favor is for a lifetime.
People: Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Leader: As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
People: By your favor, O Lord,
You had established me as a strong mountain;
You hid your face;
I was dismayed.
Leader: To You, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
People: “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise You?
Will it tell of Your faithfulness?
Leader: Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”
All: You have turned my mourning into dancing;
You have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul may praise You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
HAVE MERCY ON ME
chorus
Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy Your mercy
Let Your mercy flow through us
Your mercy Your mercy
verse
The beauty of the Lord is the suff’ring of the Lord
Is Christ upon a tree stripped of dignity
The glory of the Lord is the mercy of the Lord
Gives life for us to see a new humanity
bridge
When they see us
May they see Your mercy Your mercy
When they know us
May they know Your mercy Your mercy
bridge
Bless the hands and feet of those who serve in need
Of the broken and ashamed
Bless the weary soul the Lord will make us whole
God speak peace to those afraid
May the words we speak build a bridge for peace
Your loving-kindness shows the way
Open up our doors
Giving refuge for all the weary and afraid
CCLI Song # 7097864 CCLI License # 349090
David Gungor | Latifah Alattas © Porter’s Gate Publications
GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
Matthew 8:2-3
And there was a man with a skin disease who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be made clean!” Immediately his skin disease was cleansed.
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
2 Kings 5:1-15a
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from a skin disease. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his skin disease.” 4 So Naaman[a] went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go, then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his skin disease.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his skin disease? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and would wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease! 12 Are not Abana[b] and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.”
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
Pastor Denise
Children 6 and under are dismissed to Children’s Church in the upstairs lounge. Parents, please pick up your children from the lounge after the worship 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
A Tale of Two Healings
Pastor Mark
JESUS HEARD WITH DEEP COMPASSION
Jesus heard with deep compassion
Pleas for healing, cries of pain,
Cured the lame and cleansed the leper,
Gave the blind their sight again.
At His voice, tormenting spirits
Fled a mad-man’s tortured mind;
Clothed and sane, he went rejoicing,
Home and family to find.
Jesus touched the lives of outcasts,
Weak or sinful, scorned or poor,
Gave them self-respect and courage,
Trust and faith and hope secure.
Truly hearing, truly seeing
Deep within each troubled soul,
Jesus healed their wounded spirits,
Sent them forth with lives made whole.
Jesus, Lord, our true example,
You have shown how we must live.
Teach us how to share with others
Ev’ry-thing we have to give.
Let our days be spent in service;
Bring us by Your grace to know
Healing is the church’s calling,
And the path that we must go.
Covenant Hymnal, #205
Ministries & Mission
Cathy Campobello, serving in Colombia; 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 & OFFERING
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle® to: giving@administrator
OFFERTORY CHOIR ANTHEM
“For the Beauty of the Earth”
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.
CONFESSION OF SIN
L: As we move towards the table let us remember the proof of God’s amazing love is this: while we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in Him, we dare to approach God with confidence. In humility and faith let us confess our sin to God:
L: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
L: Let us confess our sins against God and neighbor.
All: 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.
PASSING THE PEACE
L: Since in Christ we are reconciled to God, so also we are reconciled to each other, the members of His body, the Church. May God’s peace extend throughout this congregation.
L: The peace of Christ be with you
P: And also with you.
L: Let us extend to each other signs of that peace.
(Extend greetings to those you’re with; comments online are welcome.)
INVITATION
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.
A PRAYER FOR COMMUNION
Holy God, we praise You.
Let the heavens be joyful and the earth be glad.
We bless You for creating the whole world,
for Your promises to your people Israel,
and for Jesus Christ in whom Your fullness dwells.
Born of Mary, He shares our life.
Eating with sinners, He welcomes us.
Guiding his children, He leads us.
Visiting the sick, He heals us.
Dying on the cross, He saves us.
Risen from the dead, He gives new life.
Living with You, He prays for us.
The Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body which is for you. Do this in remembering Me.”
In the same way He took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembering Me.”
With thanksgiving we take this bread and this cup and proclaim the death and resurrection of our Lord.
Receive our sacrifice of praise.
Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us
that this meal may be a communion in the body and blood or our Lord.
Make us one with Christ
and with all who share this feast.
Unite us in faith,
encourage us with hope,
inspire us to love that we may serve
As Your faithful disciples
Until we feast at Your table in glory.
We praise you, eternal God,
through Christ Your Word made flesh,
in the holy and life-giving Spirit now and forever. Amen.
SHARING IN COMMUNION
SPECIAL MUSIC
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Eternal God, heavenly father, You have graciously accepted us as living members of Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and You have fed us with spiritual food in the sacrament of His body and blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A SENDING FROM COMMUNION
What we have been about here is not separate from life. Rather these acts have been a reminder that we belong to Christ always and everywhere. We carry Christ’s Spirit into our homes, our daily activities, all our relationships. We are Christ’s people. By God’s grace let it be so. Amen.
NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD
Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms,
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed,
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns
With them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.
Amen.
Covenant Hymnal, # 31
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Moderato du Deuxieme Ton
Jean Adam Guilain
led by Cynthia
INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.
music as we go, by axiom.brass
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 and Facebook, so Sunday morning worship will remain accessible to anyone who has Internet access.
Offerfest 2022
Today is Offerfest Sunday. Offerfest, one of Ravenswood Covenant’s oldest traditions, is a Sunday in which the congregation takes particular note of God’s blessings by setting aside the morning offering to be directed towards specific ministries and projects decided upon by the church’s leadership. After the worship service, a special dinner is held in the fellowship hall, during which the amount raised for Offerfest is announced. This year’s Offerfest dinner will be prepared by Bobby and Hannah Blase, so it will no doubt be something wonderful!
This year’s Offerfest offering will be divided into thirds: one-third will go to Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp, one-third to the Lincoln Square Friendship Center, and one-third will be used to remodel and upgrade the women’s bathroom on the main floor of the C.E. wing.
Take Them a Meal program for Mary McKirchy
We periodically run Take Them a Meal programs for people in our congregation who are having difficulty with preparing meals, typically due to sickness, injury, or having recently given birth. Right now our dear sister Mary McKirchy is in ill health and has agreed to allow us to create a Take Them a Meal program on her behalf. If you are not on our church’s Take Them a Meal email list and would like to provide Mary with a meal or two, please contact Gregory in the church office at office@ravenscov.org or 773-784-7091. If you are on the list already, please consider signing up for a meal date for Mary if you are able to do so.
Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp presentation
One of the missional ministries that our church supports is Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp, which is located in the heart of Appalachia on the Virginia/Tennessee border in one of the poorest counties in the United States. Not only do we support the camp financially, we also sent a team from Ravenswood Covenant to do some painting and some work on the grounds four years ago.
CMMBC director Tammy Faulkinberry will be here at Ravenswood Covenant next Wednesday, November 9, to give a multimedia presentation in the upstairs lounge on the ministry of Covenant Mountain Mission Bible Camp at 7 pm. Everyone is invited to come hear more about this important mission that our church supports, and which indeed we will be supporting further this year as part of our Offerfest giving.
Napkin-folding workshop
Do you want to take your luncheon or dinner party to the next level? An elegant and simply-folded napkin is a great way to do it! You are invited by the ladies of the Lunch Bunch to attend a free one-hour pre-holiday workshop in the art of napkin-folding on Saturday, November 12 at 11 am in the upstairs lounge. Childcare services will be available. Please sign up early so we can have adequate supplies. To sign up or for more information, please contact the church office at 773-784-7091 or office@ravenscov.org.
Ravenswood Covenant report presentation
On Sunday, November 13, the Rev. Peter Sjoblom will present his report on Ravenswood Covenant in a special Faith Forum class at 9:30 am that will be held in the sanctuary. Everyone is encouraged to attend in order to hear the report and ask questions. Pastor Sjoblom has met with a wide cross-section of the congregation via the focus groups that gathered in July and August, and he has prepared this report in order to assist the pastoral search committee in creating a church profile for RECC that will be posted on the Covenant Connect website — which is where Covenant pastors can find out about churches with pastoral openings and make contact with them.
We hope to have printed copies of his report available in the narthex today for your perusal.
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.
Thursday night community dinner
Our Thursday night community dinners have resumed on a periodic basis. They will continue on November 10 and November 17. The dinners are open to everyone. Suggested donation is $5 for individuals, $10 for families.
Neighborhood Yoga
Certified Yoga Instructor Deb Auger is teaching a four-week Adult Yoga class in our community room on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:15 pm. This coming Wednesday will be the third session; the fee for the third and fourth sessions are $15 each. To register or for more information, contact Deb at auger.deb@gmail.com.
Christmas season choir
Choir rehearsal for the Christmas season is now underway. The choir will rehearse each Sunday at 8:30 am through Christmas. This is an opportunity for everyone, not just trained singers or choir veterans, to take part. For more information, please speak to Cynthia Arden or contact the church office.
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 November
November 6: Pastor Mark
November 13: Pastor Denise
November 20: LeRoy Carlson
November 27: Pastor Mark
Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 9:13
Micah 1:3-5; 5:2-5a; 6:6-8
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.