SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2020
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
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Sunday Worship at 11 a.m.
Livestream service of Holy Eucharist
Download the leaflet in advance here.
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Presider: The Rev. Canon Jennifer Daugherty
Preacher: The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason
Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Luke 1:26-38
Hymns: Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord [Hymn #437]; The angel Gabriel [Hymn #265]; O come, O come, Emmanuel [Hymn #56]
Organ: Three seasonal pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 599, Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, BWV 648, and Fugue on the Magnificat, BWV 733; Andrew Carter, Toccata on Veni Emmanuel
Offertory: The Angel Gabriel from heaven came [Hymn #265, sung by all]
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The Office of Compline
EVERY SUNDAY, 9:30 P.M.
COMPLINE UPDATE: Due to updated guidance from the governor, KING-FM is broadcasting archival recordings of previous Compline services until further notice. Two members from the Choir continue to pray the office of Compline in the cathedral nave. This two-person service will not be streamed or released to the public.
Highlights: (Archive from December 17, 2017): Michael Praetorius, Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming; Pulcherrima Rosa, from Codex Speciálník
All repertoire and liturgy information subject to change.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Personal Prayer Time for Advent
Wednesdays and Sundays in December
Friday afternoon tea
Friday 12/18, 3 p.m.
Virtual Sunday School
Sundays 9 & 10 a.m.
Holy Eucharist liturgy (livestream)
Sunday 12/20, 11 a.m.
Virtual Coffee Hour
Sunday 12/20, 12 p.m.
Christmas Pageant Reprise in Pandemic
hosted by Dean Thomason
Sunday, 12/20, 7 p.m.
The Office of Compline
Sunday 12/20, 9:30 p.m.
Night Prayer with 20s & 30s
Monday, 12/21, 7 p.m.
Tuesday Bible Study
Tuesday 12/22, 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Christmas Eve
Family Service with Holy Eucharist, 4 p.m.;
Holy Eucharist with Carols, 7:30 p.m.;
Organ Prelude and Carol Sing: 10:30 p.m.
Festal Holy Eucharist for the Feast of Christmas, 11 p.m.
Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist with Carols, 10 a.m.
Christmas Hymn Sing
Sunday, December 27, 4:30 p.m.
New Year's Eve
Outdoor Candlelight Labyrinth Walk, 9-11 p.m.
Midnight Eucharist for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (livestream only), 11:59 p.m.
Christmastide Evensong
Sunday, 1/3, 4:30 p.m.
Holy Eucharist on the Feast of the Epiphany
Wednesday, 1/6, 6:30 p.m.
Bloodworks Northwest Pop-up Donation Site
Bloedel Hall
Monday and Tuesday, 1/4 and 1/5, by appointment
Music Series: John Stuntebeck, organist
Friday, 1/29, 7:30 p.m.
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WEEKDAY SERVICES
Morning Prayer, THURSDAYS, 7 A.M. via Zoom. A service of morning prayer, followed immediately by some time to talk and be together. All are welcome. Email selwood@uw.edu for the link.
Evening Prayer, EVERY WEEKNIGHT, 6:30 P.M. via Zoom. A service of daily evening prayer to close the day. Email mseewer@saintmarks.org for link.
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Christmas Pageant Reprise in Pandemic hosted by Dean Thomason
Missing the Christmas Pageant this year? The delight of little angels, the sweet sounds of children’s voices, Magi processions, and three choirs gathered? Want to sing your carols as part of the experience? Pageants are an ancient way of telling the sacred story—a way that nourishes us deeply. Join Dean Thomason and others in the cathedral community as we experience a prayerful telling of the Nativity through the familiar cycle of readings from scripture, with musical reflections and congregational carols selected from the cathedral's pageants of 2015, '16, '17, '18, and '19. Then, let's gather together in a Zoom "afterparty" to share our thoughts as we turn into the week that leads to Christmas. Watch the premiere live on YouTube here. Join the afterparty using this link. All are welcome.
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YOUTH GROUP
Youth Advent Sunset Vespers on the Labyrinth
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 3:45–4:45 P.M. (arrival for screening check-in anytime from 3:30-3:45 P.M.)
Middle School and High School Youth will gather in person outside, on the cathedral's front lawn and labyrinth, at sunset on December 20. The cathedral's safety protocols for in-person gatherings will be followed, including required pre-registration, screening upon arrival, masks, and distancing. Registrations accepted until 3 p.m. on the Sunday of the event—sign up here. For more information, contact Rebekah Gilmore, rgilmore@saintmarks.org.
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Advent & Christmas Schedule of Liturgies and Events
The full schedule of special services, events, and other offerings from the beginning of Advent through The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord is now available. Liturgies both live-streamed and via Zoom are listed, along with limited in-person offerings like Blue Christmas and the New Year's Eve Outdoor Candlelight Labyrinth Walk.
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"Advent at Home" Resources Update
Have you checked out the Advent at Home page recently? Even if you looked at it when the Advent at Home mailing arrived a few weeks ago, a lot of new content has been added since then—it now includes links to the video reflections on each week's theme, podcast episodes where Kelly and Rebekah guide you through each week's liturgy in audio form, and six different renditions of the hymn Phos hilaron! More content will be added there each week. Also, don't miss this post on the cathedral's "Community Life" page telling the story of some of the cathedral's special Advent decorations.
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YOUNG ADULTS
Night Prayer with the 20s/30s Group
NEXT SERVICE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 7 P.M., over the phone
The 20s/30s Group at Saint Mark's will be hosting prayer together on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. This will be offered over the phone—the young adults decided that there were already too many videoconferences and Zoom meetings in their lives! Please email Canon Jennifer to receive the call-in information and liturgy for the service.
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Christmas Hymn Sing with Canon Kleinschmidt and Dean Thomason
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 4:30 P.M., via Zoom
Dean Thomason and Canon Kleinschmidt’s Hymn Sings are quickly becoming a favorite pandemic pastime! For this Christmas Hymn Sing, they invite you to join in singing hymns and carols via Zoom. Do you have a favorite carol that celebrates the birth of the Christ child? This is your chance to carol with the Saint Mark’s Community.
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The Outdoor Labyrinth on New Year's Eve
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, at your leisure
The outdoor labyrinth on the cathedral’s front lawn remains open and accessible around the clock. Walking the labyrinth on New Year’s Eve is a long-standing tradition at Saint Mark’s, and you are invited to pay a visit any time. From 9 p.m. on December 31, the labyrinth will be decorated with candles and luminaria, weather permitting. (The indoor labyrinth is closed this year due to pandemic). The annual Midnight Eucharist for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus will begin at 11:59 p.m. via livestream only.
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Choral Evensong on the Second Sunday after Christmas
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 4:30 P.M., via livestream
Saint Mark's Cathedral invites one and all to worship the Christ child with prayers and praises sung safely at home at sundown on the tenth day of Christmas. In addition to leading hymns with the organ's support, a soloist will offer Gregorian settings of portions of the service. The Magnificat and anthem will be drawn from archived recordings of livestreamed liturgies sung by the full Evensong Choir. The setting of the Magnificat will be from the Emerald City Service composed by countertenor Tyler Morse, a member of the Evensong Choir and The Compline Choir.
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SECOND SUNDAY BOOK GROUP
For All Who Hunger: Searching for Communion in a Shattered World by Emily M.D. Scott
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 1 P.M., via Zoom
As a recent graduate of Yale Divinity School and liturgist for a large church in NYC, Emily Scott heard church leaders grapple with how to get people to church. What, she wondered, if we took the church to the people. Can we make a place for those who never felt at home in church? "For All Who Hunger: Searching for Communion in a Shattered World" is her attempt to find an answer. She began a church where dinner, literally not symbolically, was at the heart of the worship experience in various makeshift venues in NYC, finally settling in the midst of public housing. In came a few homeless, a few misfits, a few divinity students, and a few of the lonely. She counts herself among the latter. Scott gives us a very personal, moving and, perhaps, unconventional story of church and faith. To join the zoom discussion, e-mail your interest to pmcelheran@comcast.net or deborahbrown@me.com.
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SAINT MARK'S MUSIC SERIES
Fritts Organ Concert: John Stuntebeck, organist
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 7:30 P.M., via livestream
The next concert on the Music Series this year features associate organist John Stuntebeck! Here is a rare opportunity to hear a richly diverse collection of pieces played on the organ built for Thomsen Chapel in 2013 by Paul Fritts, a world-renowned organ builder based in Tacoma. As principal organist of the Sunday 8 a.m. worship service in the chapel, John Stuntebeck expertly highlights all the beauty of this marvelous instrument. His program will include works of three living North American composers: Rebecca Groom Te Velde, Calvin Fuller, and Denis Bédard; and works of Percy Whitlock, J. S. Bach, and W. A. Mozart. More information at the Music Series page.
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The Peter Hallock Institute presents: The Compline Psalter
The Hallock Institute is a non-profit founded after the death of former Saint Mark's Cathedral Organist and Choirmaster Peter R. Hallock, with the mission of preserving and promoting Hallock's legacy as a composer and a liturgical innovator. Just in time for Christmas, the Institute is proud to present its first publication: a complete edition of The Compline Psalter, containing newly-edited versions of the over 50 psalm settings written especially to be sung during the Office of Compline at Saint Mark's by the Compline Choir, in his unique, inimitable style. This publication is the product of over five years of work. Learn more about the Psalter and the Institute—and purchase a copy for yourself or your loved ones!—here.
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Pop-up Blood Donation Center in Bloedel Hall
JANUARY 4 AND 5, 12 P.M. through 6 P.M., by appointment only
Bloodworks Northwest returns to Bloedel Hall in January with their donation pop-up center. We’ve had to rely on each other more than usual this past year, and donating blood is the most direct way you can stand up and help our community. Use this link to schedule your appointment in Bloedel. To comply with all coronavirus-related government restrictions and recommendations and ensure donor and staff safety, Bloodworks is now requiring masks or an appropriate face covering at all Bloodworks donation sites, and donors must come in by appointment only.
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Christmas Memorials and Thanksgivings, in Support of Evergreens and Poinsettias for the Cathedral Nave
Although the traditional greening of the nave will be smaller than usual, green boughs and poinsettias will still grace Saint Mark's this year. You are once again invited to underwrite the costs of greenery as a memorial or in thanksgiving for a loved one. There are four ways to give: mail a check (memo: Poinsettias), online through saintmarks.org/give, through Venmo (@saintmarkscathedralseattle, comment "Poinsettias"), or by contacting Erik Donner in the cathedral office: 206-323-0300 x 217. Names received by this Sunday, December 20, will be printed in the Christmas leaflets.
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CREATION CARE
Donate to Carbon-Offset Funds in your Year-End Giving
Are you looking for ways to offset your carbon footprint? The average U.S. person has a carbon footprint of about 16 tons. While many of us are taking actions to reduce that number, we are still left with at least a small carbon footprint. Offsetting that footprint by donating to programs that reduce the effects of climate change is one way to become "carbon neutral." Consider making a donation to the Carbon Offset Cooperative Mission in partnership with the Diocese of Southern Philippines at ecww.org or go to COTAP.org to make a donation to the Carbon Offsets to Alleviate Poverty program. Both are tax-deductible. Wondering what your household carbon footprint is? Use these simple instructions and go to www.sustainislandhome.org to easily estimate your footprint and join over 50 other St. Mark's households who are already signed up.
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CREATION CARE TIP: Give a gift to the planet. Have you heard of Ridwell? It's a service that picks up items that may be hard to recycle, right from your house. From packaging to light bulbs, check out what you can help save from heading to the landfill.
Interested in being involved? Contact Marjorie Ringness for more information about the Creation Care Ministry.
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"Pop-Up" Eucharists Postponed
With the current surge in COVID cases, Pop-Up Eucharists have been postponed for safety’s sake. Please check back in the New Year, for rescheduling when it is safe to gather again. Please contact Canon Jennifer with any questions: jkdaugherty@saintmarks.org.
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Personal Prayer Time in the Cathedral for Advent: Wednesday and Sunday afternoons
Register for a 20-minute time period: Wednesdays, December 2, 9, 16, or 23 between 12 and 2 p.m.; or Sundays, December 6, 13, or 20 between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Personal Prayer Time in the Cathedral is for anyone who wishes to come into the Cathedral nave for quiet, prayerful reflection during Advent. Although the building remains closed for public gathering, the reopening plan allows for personal prayer to happen in the nave following safety protocols. Clergy will facilitate these personal prayer times on Wednesdays and Sundays during this holy season. The nave will be prepared with candles lit and music softly playing for you to pray privately at your chosen time slot. Register online or call Erik Donner at 206-323-0300 x217 for a reservation. Masks, distancing, and other coronavirus precautions must be observed—see this link for details.
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CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Weekly Online Sunday School
SUNDAYS, 9 A.M. (for pre-K—grade 2) AND 10 A.M. (for grades 3–5).
Church School on Sunday mornings has started up again for the Fall season! Children in Pre-K through second grade meet at 9 a.m. for Godly Play with Alicia Goodwin, where they tell bible stories with objects from home, make art together, and share their prayers and praises. Children in third through fifth grade meet at 10 a.m. for Exploring Saints and Sacraments with Kristen Kelly, where they study scripture together and make connections to life in quarantine, plan projects for the community, and more! Contact Kelly Moody, Associate for Spiritual Formation, for more information and zoom links at kmoody@saintmarks.org.
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Prayer Podcast for Children and Families from Saint Mark's Cathedral
During Advent, the Saint Mark's Prayer Podcast features weekly versions of the Advent at Home liturgy led by Rebekah and Kelly. Search for "Prayer Podcast for Children" wherever you get your podcasts, or check out all the episodes here!
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Do you know someone who might need to be contacted?
Is there anyone you know who might benefit from a quick phone call, or a note in the mail, from clergy or a member of the community? Email Dean Steve Thomason at sthomason@saintmarks.org or Erik Donner at edonner@saintmarks.org, or call either one—or any of the clergy—at 206.323.0300.
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