September 18, 2022

PRE-SERVICE MUSIC

PRELUDE
“Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly”
led by Erin and Cynthia

WELCOME & GREETING, COMMUNITY LIFE

CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Come, all who need help!
People: Our help comes from God,
the one who made heaven and earth.
Leader: Come, all who desire blessing!
People: Our blessing comes from God,
the God of Abraham and Sarah, the God of the ages.
Leader: Come, all who long for salvation!
People: Our salvation comes from Jesus Christ,
the one sent by God to save the world.

ACT JUSTLY, LOVE MERCY, WALK HUMBLY
verse 1
It all comes down to this
What you require of me
Love my neighbor as myself
And You above all things

chorus
Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly
With You, God
In all things, in all ways, walk humbly
With You, God

verse 2
It all comes down to this
To be Your hands and feet
Good news to all the world
The truth will set us free

bridge
It’s beauty for ashes
It’s mourning to dancing
It’s closer and closer
The Kingdom of heaven

verse 3
Years from now we’ll see
The fruit our hands have sown
Faith just like a seed
The only way it grows

CCLI Song # 7168697 Chris Tomlin | Jason Ingram | Pat Barrett
© 2021 Capitol CMG Genesis (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
CCLI License # 349090

GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
Matthew 28:19-20

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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

O ZION, HASTE, YOUR MISSION NOW FULFILLING
O Zion, haste, your mission high fulfilling,
To tell to all the world that God is light,
That He who made all nations is not willing
One soul should perish, lost in shades of night.

refrain
Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace,
Tidings of Jesus, redemption, and release.

Proclaim to ev’ry people, tongue, and nation
That God, in whom they live and move, is love;
Tell how He stooped to save His lost creation
And died on earth that they might live above.

Give of your seed to bear the message glorious,
Give of your wealth to speed them on their way;
Pour out your soul for them in prayer victorious,
And all of your giving Jesus will repay.

Covenant Hymnal, #679

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON
Genesis 12:1-9

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot and all the possessions that they had gathered and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran, and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

CHILDREN’S MOMENT

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
Following After
Mark Safstrom

WE LABOR UNTO GLORY
My God, my God, where e’er I go, glory
Where I reap and where I sow, glory
When my hands they grip the thorn, glory
In the still and in the storm ,glory
Glory

chorus
O we labor unto glory
Till heaven and earth are one
O we labor unto glory
Until God’s kingdom comes

The sun it shines and then goes down, glory
Rain it pours and beats the ground, glory
Dust it blows and ends my days, glory
Hearts they burn beneath Your gaze, glory
Glory

chorus

My heart my hands they’re kingdom bound, glory
Where thorns no longer curse the ground, glory
Trim the wick, ignite the flame, glory
My work it will not be in vain, glory
Glory

CCLI Song # 7097869 Craig Harris | Isaac Wardell © Hymns From The Porter’s Gate (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC]) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 349090

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
We continue to pray for: Nikolas Arden, Messian Burgos, Vira Coszach, the family of Joan Erickson, Gloria Evenson, Pedro Gomez, the congregation of Grace Evangelical Covenant Church, Art & Rosa Hamilton, Mary McKirchy, Shirley Nicholas, our Pastoral Search Committee, Mary Smith, and Esther Stoel

Ministries & Mission
Greg & Kristi Fauss, serving in Germany; 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
Nimrod
Edward Elgar
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.

THROUGH ALL THE WORLD
Through all the world let every nation sing
To God the King.
As Lord may Christ preside
Where now He is defied,
And sovereign place His throne
In lands not yet His own.
Through all the world let every nation sing
To God the King!

Through all the world let everyone express
True righteousness.
May Christ now be the norm
To which we all conform,
His passion cure the sin
That festers from within.
Through all the world let everyone express
True righteousness!

Through all the world let everyone embrace
The gift of grace.
May Christ’s great light consume
Our darkest cities’ gloom;
May Christ’s great love efface
Hostilities of race.
Through all the world let everyone embrace
The gift of grace!

If all the world in every part shall hear,
And God revere,
We must be moved to care
And in His name to share
The liberating word
Which must be told abroad.
Then all the world in every part shall hear,
And God revere!

Covenant Hymnal, #699


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

POSTLUDE
March from Idomeneo
W.A. Mozart
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 will continue to livestream worship each week on YouTube and Facebook; this is now a permanent feature of our ministry, so Sunday morning worship will remain accessible to anyone who has Internet access.

Sunday School 2022-23
Today was the first Sunday of Sunday School classes. Sunday School will begin at 9:30 am. Lorri and Eli will teach the early elementary kids and Bekah will teach the older elementary age. If you are interested in helping with preschool age kids either before worship in the gym or during Children’s Church please contact Pastor Denise.

Faith Forum
Faith Forum, our adult Sunday school class, began its fall schedule today. All teenagers and adults are welcome to join us each week in the upstairs lounge for great lectures, interactive study, and discussion. Our first guest speaker will be Paul Shaheen, who is leading a six-week series on the sin of idolatry. Faith Forum is an important aspect of Ravenswood Covenant’s ministry of Christian formation, and we warmly encourage you to take part in it.

Faith & Race workshop
New Community Covenant Church will be hosting a Faith & Race workshop on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24, at West Point Baptist Church, 3566 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Among the featured speakers are the Dean of North Park Theological Seminary, Dr. Dennis Edwards. For more information, please click on this link.

Women’s luncheon
Women, please save this date: next Saturday, September 24, for a special luncheon and fun in the fellowship hall. From 11 am to 1 pm there will be a time for food and fun! There will be gifts, food demonstrations, plenty of opportunities for fellowship and laughter, and a visiting dietician will be speaking. The cost is $5, which can be paid to Colleen Carlson or to Gregory Sager in the church office. Plan to attend and to bring a friend! 

Farmers market
Our farmers market continues to be a success, as we’ve settled into a post-Covid average of about 400-500 adults per market, with a large and enthusiastic contingent of children for whom the market is a high point of every week.

The farmers market season will run until our annual fall festival on Wednesday, October 12. This year’s markets will run from 4 pm to 7 pm, and as always they will be held in the church parking lot.

We are still looking for market volunteers to help out with set-up, assisting with kids activities, and take-down on Wednesdays. If you can assist, even if it’s only for one Wednesday, please contact Bekah Carlson, Pastor Denise, or 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 adult Bible study
The weekly Bible study meets every Thursday, September 15, 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 September
September 4: Gregory Sager
September 11: Pastor Denise
September 18: Mark Safstrom
September 25: Pastor Mark

Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 5:11-12
Genesis 39:1-23

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.

"With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." (Mark 4:30-32 NRS)