October 4, 2020 | Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church

Adult Sunday School meets before church at 9:30
on zoom

KIDS TIME
Music & a visit from some friends

PRELUDE
For the Beauty of the Earth
led by Cynthia & Mary

WELCOME & GREETING

COME AS YOU ARE
Come out of sadness from wherever you’ve been
Come broken-hearted let rescue begin
Come find your mercy O sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal

chorus
(So) Lay down your burdens lay down your shame
All who are broken lift up your face
O wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt lay down your heart
Come as you are

There’s hope for the hopeless
And all those who’ve strayed
Come sit at the table come taste the grace
There’s rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t cure

Come as you are
Fall in His arms
Come as you are

There’s joy for the morning O sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow that Heaven can’t heal

Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are

CCLI Song # 7017790 CCLI License # 349090
Ben Glover | David Crowder | Matt Maher © 2014 9t One Songs

OLD TESTAMENT READING
Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
²He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.

³And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and people of Judah,
judge between me
    and my vineyard.
⁴What more was there to do for my vineyard
    that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield wild grapes?

⁵And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.
⁶I will make it a waste;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.

⁷For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
    but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
    but heard a cry!

KIND AND MERCIFUL GOD (verses 1,2 & 5)
Kind and merciful God,
We have sinned in your sight,
We have all wandered far from your way;
We have followed desire,
We have failed to aspire
To the virtue we ought to display.

Kind and merciful God,
We’ve neglected your Word
And the truth that would guide us aright;
We have lived in the shade
Of the dark we have made,
When you willed us to walk in the light.

Kind and merciful God,
Bid us lift up our heads
And command us to rise from our knees;
May our hearts now be changed
And no longer estranged,
Through the pow’r of your pardon and peace.

GOSPEL LESSON
Matthew 21:33-46

³³“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. ³⁴When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. ³⁵But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. ³⁷Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?

⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. ⁴⁴The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Leader: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God

(sung)
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.

REFLECTING ON THE WORD
Come share the Lord
Pastor Phil

COME, SHARE THE LORD
We gather here
In Jesus’ name,
His love is burning in our hearts
Like living flame;
For through his loving Son
The Father makes us one:
Come, take the bread,
Come, drink the wine,
Come, share the Lord.

No one is a stranger here
Ev’ry one belongs;
Finding our forgiveness here,
We in turn forgive all wrongs.

He joins us here,
He breaks the bread,
The Lord who pours the cup
Is risen from the dead;
The one we love the most
Is now our gracious host:
Come, take the bread,
Come, drink the wine,
Come, share the Lord.

We are now a family
Of which the Lord is head;
Though unseen he meets us here
In the breaking of the bread.

We’ll gather soon
Where angels sing;
We’ll see the glory of our Lord
And coming King;
Now we anticipate
The feast for which we wait:
Come, take the bread,
Come, drink the wine,
Come, share the Lord.

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
Folks We Are Praying For:
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.

Church family who work in and around hospitals & nursing homes:
Alex A, Kyra A, Hannah A, Sam A, Linda C, Carl G, Katie G, Eric H, Rachel H, Chona I, Abby H, Dana J, Bryan J, Kari J, Neal J, Eric S, Don T.

(If we missed any people’s names above please let us know.)

We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Katie Collier, Mike Sager and family, Dan Erickson, Art and Rosa Hamilton, Shirley Nicholas, Paul Mounce, Jane Auger, Joyce Andrews, Steve Hoden, Mary Spriggs, the families of Joe Heikes and Vernon Gustafson, the Morales/Randall family.

Ministries & Mission
Max McClure, serving in Czech Republic; Barb and Steve Swanson, serving in Sweden

GIVING OF OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS
& PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
led by Cynthia & Mary

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 & PASSING OF PEACE
L: The proof of God’s amazing love is this: while we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in Christ, 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: 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 on Facebook are welcome.)

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.

Prayer of Consecration
Sharing in Communion

SPECIAL MUSIC
for Communion
Be Still, led by Janelle & Cynthia

IN CELEBRATION, CLAP YOUR HANDS AND SING
In celebration, clap your hands and sing
In praise to God, our everliving King;
With joyful hearts our worship now we bring:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

We drink the wine, together break the bread
Each one in turn is comforted and fed;
We join our hands-one body, Christ the Head:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

With joy we go to take our place each day,
Living our lives by following Christ’s way;
In all we do, we sing, we serve, we pray:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Past place and time, we rise beyond this earth
Our fellowship in heaven finds re-birth;
A-new our voices sing the Savior’s worth:
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Carol Fox Thorne, Paul H. Erickson, Ralph Vaughan Williams

BENEDICTION

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

POSTLUDE
Sine Nomine, by Ralph Vaughn Williams
led by Cynthia & Mary

INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday
We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.

SONGS FOR THIS WEEK
… as we go out to love and serve the Lord:
After the Feast
The Lord Bless You

After the Feast
maxeltoft.com (thanks Max)

Friends what we have been
Friends what we have been about here
Friends what we have been
Is not separate

Friends what we have been
Friends what we have been about here
Friends what we have been

Let it be so so
Let it be so
Let it be so so

Rather these acts have been reminder
We belong always everywhere
Rather these acts have been reminder
We belong always everywhere

Let it be so so
Let it be so
Let it be so so

The Lord Bless You and keep you
The Lord make His face shine upon you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you
And give you peace.

Book discussion
During the month of October a group will be reading Rediscipling the White Church, From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity by Rev. David W. Swanson, pastor of New Community Covenant Church in the Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago. “In this simple but powerful book, Pastor Swanson contends that discipleship, not diversity, lies at the heart of our white churches’ racial brokenness. Swanson proposes that we rethink our churches’ habits, or liturgies, and imagine together holistic, communal discipleship practices that can reform us as members of Christ’s diverse body.”

We will be reading individually in October and having discussion via Zoom on Tuesday, November 10 on the entire book. Please contact Pastor Denise (denise@ravenscov.org) if you have questions or would like help getting a copy of the book.

Thursday night Bible study
This week the Thursday night Bible study will begin a four-week look at the book of Malachi. The Bible study meets every Thursday at 6:30 pm via Zoom, and if you are not conversant with Zoom, don’t let that stop you! We can teach you how to activate Zoom so that you can take part. There are also a limited number of spaces available for those who wish to attend the Bible study in person in the lounge using social-distancing protocols. If you’re interested, please contact Gregory Sager in the church office at office@ravenscov.org or at 773-784-7091.

The Zoom link for the Thursday night Bible study is https://zoom.us/j/95052558015?pwd=N3d1eFpUUmUwenhCSzNJNUk3WEV2QT09

Meeting ID: 950 5255 8015
Passcode: 141628

Prayer meeting dates change
The church’s weekly prayer meeting that gathers on Monday nights is moving to an every-other-week format for the time being, so the next meeting will be October 12. This is to reduce the scheduling conflict between the prayer meeting and RECC’s ongoing women’s prayer circle that has been convening daily during the COVID-19 pandemic. As long as attendance remains low enough to accommodate the meeting under the church’s current guidelines, it will be held live in the Nelson Lounge, beginning at 7 pm. Quarantine protocols (masks and social distancing) are required.

Church reopening survey
The church’s Leadership Team and staff have put together a survey that is designed to gauge the congregation’s desires and concerns regarding the resumption of in-person worship in our sanctuary. The survey will be sent online, and paper copies will be mailed to regular attenders who do not have an email address or who share an email address with a person receiving the online survey. Look for this survey, which is being sent out this weekend. It’s only five questions long, so your prompt reply would be appreciated.

Faith Forum update
Faith Forum, Ravenswood Covenant’s adult Sunday School class, is back in session! The class meets via Zoom at the traditional meeting time of 9:30 am on Sunday. Starting next week, Gregory Sager will begin leading a series on the book of Colossians.. This is the Zoom link for Faith Forum. The link is also provided at the top of the bulletin every week.

Farmers market update
Only two Wednesday markets left! We hope you can join us,
Wednesdays from 4-7 pm.

Thursday night dinners
Chef Bobby, Hannah, Marlene, and Mary are once again providing our church’s Thursday night community dinners on an every-other-week basis. The dinners are sign-up-and-pick-up only. The next dinner will be a week from this Thursday. Contact the church office to be put on the sign-up email list, and follow the prayer email and the Sunday bulletin on the church’s website at www.ravenscov.org for more details.

Prayer requests
A group of women in our church are meeting every night at 7 pm via phone calls and texts in order to keep our various needs before God in prayer. They are asking the congregation to bring their needs to them to be lifted up in prayer as part of this evening prayer time. If you have any needs that you would like to have added to their prayer list, please contact the church office.

Free masks available
The church is offering free masks to anyone in the congregation who is in need of one. If you would like, you may make a donation to our benevolence fund when you come to the church building to pick yours up. Please contact the church office at office@ravenscov.org or 773-396-6175 for more information.

We need your (in worship) videos and pictures
As part of our ongoing efforts to stay connected with each other during this time of physical separation, we’re asking members and friends of the church to send us pictures of themselves as they take part in online worship. You can, if you choose, accompany the picture with a short (one or two sentences) greeting, or a brief video of no more than ten seconds, so that we can share them as a part of Sunday morning worship. Please be aware that they may have to be edited for space reasons. You can send them as downloadable files to office@ravenscov.org.

Our response to the current health crisis
As a community of faith we continue to pray for the health and welfare of our church and community as we resist the temptation to fall prey to fear. We do, however, want to continue to look out for the welfare of our friends and neighbors. We are doing our best to stay current with best practices for this unique time — please stay tuned as these may change. Our primary place for timely communication will be our website, ravenscov.org. We will also offer reminders and notes on our Facebook page and by email. We are livestreaming our Sunday morning worship on Facebook Live so that you may continue to be a part of our worship. Do not, however, become isolated. If you need any help there are folks in our church who can do so. Call the office (773-784-7091) or email the office (office@ravenscov.org).

General fund giving:
September 20: $4,125

General fund giving:
September 27: $2,041

Scripture for next Sunday
Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm 23
Matthew 22:1-14

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.