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.
September 25, 2022
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
PRELUDE
led by Dana
WELCOME & GREETING, COMMUNITY LIFE
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY! LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
Holy, holy, holy!
Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning
Our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy,
Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons,
Blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy!
All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns
Around the glassy sea.
Cherubim and seraphim
Falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy!
Though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man
Thy glory may not see.
Only Thou art holy,
There is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love and purity.
Holy, holy, holy!
Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name
In earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy,
Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons,
Blessed Trinity!
Covenant Hymnal, #113
PRAISE THE FATHER, PRAISE THE SON
O sov’reign God, O matchless King
The saints adore, the angels sing
And fall before the throne of grace
To You belongs the highest praise
These sufferings, this passing tide
Under Your wings I will abide
And ev’ry enemy shall flee
You are my hope and victory
(Oh) praise the Father, praise the Son
(And) praise the Spirit, Three in One
Clothed in power and in grace
The name above all other names
To the valley for my soul
Thy great descent has made me whole
Your word my heart has welcomed home
Now peace like water ever flows
bridge
Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power
Yours is the glory forever
Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power
Yours is the glory forever
Praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three in One
Clothed in power and in grace
The name above all other names
The name above all other names
CCLI Song # 5203251 CCLI License # 349090
Chris Tomlin | Ed Cash© 2008 sixsteps Music
GOSPEL LESSON
(Stand as you are able for the reading of the Gospel.)
John 14:1-14
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, but if you do not, then believe because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
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.
SERMON LESSONS
Exodus 20:1-6
Then God spoke all these words,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hades;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy Christian church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting. Amen.
REFLECTING ON THE WORD
How Many Roads to Heaven?
Pastor Mark
JESUS, FIRM FOUNDATION
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word
What more can He say than to you He has said
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled
Fear not, He is with us, O be not dismayed
For He is our God, our sustainer and strength
He’ll be our defender and cause us to stand
Upheld by His merciful, almighty hand
How firm, our foundation
How sure, our salvation
And we will not be shaken
Jesus, firm foundation
The soul that is trusting in Jesus as Lord
Will press on enduring the darkest of storm
And though even hell should endeavor to shake
He’ll never, no, never, no, no, never forsake
He’ll never, no, never, no, no, never forsake
How firm, our foundation
How sure, our salvation
And we will not be shaken
Jesus, firm foundation
Age to age He stands
Faithful to the end
All may fade away
But He will remain
He will remain!
How firm, our foundation
How sure, our salvation
And we will not be shaken
Jesus, firm foundation.
W&M Bryan Brown / Jason Ingram / Tony Wood lyrics ©Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Essential Music Publishing, Capitol Christian Music Group CCLI#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
Marta Klein, serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 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 & OFFERING
giving opportunities: ravenscov.org/giving/
Zelle® to: giving@administrator
OFFERTORY
The Swan
Camille Saint-Saëns
led by Dennis Conner and 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.
THE CHURCH’S ONE FOUNDATION
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood he bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
We see her long divided,
By heresy and sect;
Yet she by God is guided,
One people, one elect;
Her vigil she is keeping
Her cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the dawn of song.
‘Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest!
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with thee.
Covenant Hymnal, #579
BENEDICTION
L: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
P: Thanks be to God
POSTLUDE
Prelude in C
J.S. Bach
led by Dennis Conner
INVITATION
We’ll be back here next Sunday. We hope you can join us. Information on ravenscov.org.
We thank guest cellist Dennis Conner for his contributions to today’s worship service.
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.
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 conclude with our annual Harvest Festival on Wednesday, October 12. We will have extra games for the kids, a firepit for making s’mores, pumpkin painting, and lots of other fun extras to celebrate the end of another great farmers market season.
We are looking for volunteers to help out with set-up, assisting with kids activities, and take-down at the Harvest Festival. If you can assist, please contact Bekah Carlson, Pastor Denise, or the church office.
Neighbor seeks aid
A woman in our community is seeking someone who can assist with the care of her son, who is 34 years old and has multiple sclerosis. Her son is bedridden and needs a minimum of 40 hrs/week care. The person assisting would need to feed her son breakfast each day (not weekends) and clean him as needed (bathroom cleaning) as well as sponge baths. He is confined to bed, so there would not be the regular difficulties in moving him in and out of bed.
They live on N. Lincoln Avenue, close to Budlong Elementary School. Light cleaning and vacuuming of his room would be expected, but no cleaning of the rest of the house. Pay is $16 to $17/hour.
For more information, please contact Gregory in 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 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 October
October 2: Pastor Denise
October 9: TBA
October 16: Pastor Mark
October 23: Mary Spriggs
October 30: Barb & Steve Swanson
Scripture for next Sunday
Matthew 2:13-15
Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29
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.