Livestream service of Holy Eucharist

Download the leaflet in advance here.

Visit saintmarks.org/livestream to watch live. (The service will also be streamed on Saint Mark's Facebook page.)

Presider: The Rev. Canon Nancy Ross

Preacher: The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8

Hymns: Prepare the way, O Zion [Hymn #65]; On Jordan’s bank [Hymn #76]

Organ: Four settings of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Tune of Hymn 54, “Savior of the nations, come”), by Anton Kneller; Andreas Nikolaus Vetter; Dieterich Buxtehude; and J.S. Bach; Adolphus Hailstork, Toccata on Veni Emmanuel (Tune of Hymn 56, “O come, O come, Emmanuel”) 

Offertory music: O Zion, that bringest glad tidings (sung by all from home)

Here is this week's introduction to Sunday's hymns, first broadcast live over Facebook on Thursday. Join us next Thursday at 4 p.m. on the cathedral's public Facebook page to experience the next hymn chat live!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 12 P.M.

On the first Sunday of the month, we will say our traditional blessings for those with birthdays or anniversaries in the month of October during the Virtual Coffee Hour. Email Peter McClung to get the link.

On the first Sunday of each month, a separate coffee hour is offered especially for newcomers and guests to the livestream, near and far. If you know of someone who has recently begun participating remotely, please encourage them to contact Canon Chapman, cchapman@saintmarks.org.

In light of the current limitations on singing in public, this Evensong will be an unusual hybrid of past and present. Hosted by Saint Mark’s via livestream, it will afford an opportunity to say Evening Prayer and sing portions of it at home as it is taking place in the cathedral. It will also afford an opportunity to meditate on the Songs of Mary and Simeon as archived footage of Saint Mark’s Evensong choir singing those two canticles is dropped into the livestream. Light the second candle on your Advent wreath and log onto Saint Mark’s website to raise your Advent prayers and praises with a live officiant, readers, soloist, and organist; and with beautiful past offerings by the Evensong Choir.

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.

COMPLINE UPDATE: Due to updated guidance from the governor relating to livestream-only religious services, beginning this Sunday, November 29, Classical KING FM 98.1 will broadcast archival recordings of previous Compline services appropriate to the season. We will continue doing this until current restrictions are lifted. We will re-release the archival recordings through our podcast feed.

Listen to Compline on KING-FM 98.1 and online at king.org, and please subscribe to the Compline podcast: complinepodcast.org

Highlights (Archive from December 10, 2017): Claude Goudimel, Comfort, comfort ye my people (Tune: Psalm 42); Tomás Luis de Victoria, Ecce Dominus veniet

Luminous Night: A Timely Virtual Workshop with Mirabai Starr on Loss, Grief, and Hope

TOMORROW! SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 9:30-11:30 A.M., via Zoom, registration required.

Renowned interspiritual teacher Mirabai Starr returns to Saint Mark’s on December 5 to offer a virtual workshop on loss, grief, and hope titled Luminous Night: A Spirituality of Loss, Grief, and Hope. She will share teachings from the mystics of various traditions that illumine the connection between loss, spiritual longing, and reframing the future. The teachings of the sixteenth-century Spanish saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross show us how we may approach the radical mystery that often accompanies loss and lament as a spiritual opportunity rather than as a problem requiring a solution. By engaging a contemplative approach, we cultivate an environment of emotional refuge and deep peace in which we can name and offer our burdens to the Holy One.

Our time together will include poetry and contemplative reading, deep dialog in small breakout groups, writing exercises, and a closing liturgy with cathedral clergy. We especially invite those who are grieving any kind of loss or those who find the holiday season a painful or difficult time. We will gather via Zoom. The event is free but pre-registration is required; register here.

For more information, contact Canon Jennifer Daugherty at jkdaugherty@saintmarks.org. 

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 (search SaintMarksSeattle, comment "Poinsettias"), or by contacting Erik Donner in the cathedral office: 206-323-0300 x 217.

This week an email was sent to the parish giving details of a new initiative to organize, preserve, and secure the cathedral's historical documents and artifacts. Thanks to a generous gift from The Rev. Canon Pat Taylor in memory of her late husband Jim, the cathedral has partnered with the University of Washington Information School, and engaged a graduate student in to begin this massive project. Learn much more about the project and read an interview with Library Science student Alexa Minasian here.

The response to this year's giving opportunity has already been wonderfully generous, but there are still a few days remaining to make a gift! Share the joy of the season with the families of Casa Latina, Lowell Elementary School, and Mary’s Place! Deadline to give is this coming Monday, December 7. Visit this page, follow the links to make a donation in the amount you choose, and then Saint Mark's will purchase gift cards and deliver them. All the information and resources can be found at saintmarks.org/alternativegiving.

The cathedral buildings are closed, but the Saint Mark’s community remains active, connected, and committed to the spiritual journey together. As we turn toward Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas, one new way to give thanks to God and nurture our common life is through hosting a “Pop-Up” Eucharist. Parishioners are invited to gather a masked, socially-distanced small group (5 or fewer people) outdoors for a simple Eucharist with one of the priests. This 20-30-minute service could take place anywhere – a private backyard, a park, or the cathedral lawn, for example. Just ample space for distancing requirements. The parishioner host ensures a table and chairs for all participants and the priest will bring the rest. Come share communion together! There are protocols for ensuring COVID safety compliance which we can discuss in advance (waiver, temperature-taking, etc.). If you’d like to host or participate in a “Pop-Up” Eucharist, please contact Canon Jennifer (jkdaugherty@saintmarks.org) or any of the priests. 

Saturday, December 6 is the Church's feast day commemorating St. Nicholas of Myra. In this video, the saint himself stops by with a special Advent message for the children of the Diocese of Olympia! (You may be surprised to discover that this visitor from the 4th century A.D. bears a striking resemblance to Bishop of Olympia Greg Rickel.)

Check out the complete schedule here.

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.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 4:30 P.M., via Zoom

Dean Thomason and Canon Kleinschmidt's first Hymn Sing was so much fun, they've decided to throw another one! They invite you to join in singing Advent hymns and carols via Zoom. Do you have a favorite hymn that expresses the Advent themes of longing, hope, and expectation? This is the occasion! Requests are encouraged, from any hymnal. Make your hymn request here. Join via the Zoom link here.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 4–8 P.M. by reservation (find reservation instructions here.)

or another day by appointment; call Erik Donner at 206-323-0300 x217.

Saint Mark’s has a long-standing tradition of holding space for “Blue Christmas”—prayerful care and companionship for those who find the holiday season a painful or difficult time. This year, you are invited to come to Saint Mark’s for 20-minute prayer sessions (either individually or as a family unit) to offer grief and lament to the Holy One who loves us. Prayer sessions will take place in the quiet and peace of the Cathedral nave. While there, you may pray on your own or light a candle to remember a special person, people, or to acknowledge other intentions you hold in your heart. If you desire, you may also talk privately with a clergy member (masked and distanced).

Registration is required. Masks, distancing, and other coronavirus precautions must be observed—see this link for more details.

Yule: Light for the Darkest Night

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 7 P.M. via livestream

Celebrate the winter solstice with a new type of church service. Through poetry, song, and meditation, St. Luke's, Renton, will share a mystic experience of the divine. All are welcome.​ Yule is a collaboration between St. Luke’s in Renton, WA and St. Andrew’s in New London, NH. The liturgy will include participation from Saint Mark's Canon Musician Emeritus Mel Bulter. The service will be streamed at stlukesrenton.org/yule.

NEXT SERVICES: MONDAY, DECEMBER 7,

& 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.

Parishioners Morgan Randall and Jade Bawcom will be married on Saturday, December 12 in the cathedral nave. Only a very few guests will be able to attend in person, but the service will be livestreamed on the cathedral website. Please join in witnessing their vows and celebrating the new family in our community at saintmarks.org/livestream

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 12 P.M., via Zoom

JOIN US December 13th at 12:00pm during regularly scheduled Virtual Coffee Hour for a half-hour storytelling fundraiser that showcases how corps members continue to “Blossom Abundantly” in Seattle Service Corps. Come and be inspired as corps members share stories of growth and formation. Discover the hopes and goals of this year's cohort, and hear how they are following the Way of Jesus. Learn more here. Register for the party here. You will receive a Zoom link prior to the event!

Celebrate a greener holiday season. Join the 20s/30s Group and Creation Care for a watch party via Zoom to view and discuss David Attenborough's documentary, "A Life On Our Planet." We'll share observations and eco-friendly ways to keep the season festive while thinking about how these actions can become practices that open us to deeper spiritual connections. See the trailer here. Prior to the film, we'll send participants vegetarian friendly appetizers from our own Chef Carolina. Register using this link. Questions? Email Emily Meeks, emcmeeks@gmail.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 9 -11 A.M., via Zoom

At this time of year, with shorter days, and in the political climate of the world, we can find ourselves having trouble getting into the spirit and meaning of Advent. This December, St. Andrew's will host a "finger" Labyrinth walk via Zoom. Donna Hawkins will show how we all can symbolically take this journey, reminding ourselves that all is not bleak, there is hope and love, we just need to continue walking in our faith toward the light. As you leave this walk you will be taking Christ's light with you as you head out into the world, a beacon of Hope for all to see. Join St. Andrew's Seattle for this creative alternative Advent practice. For more information and to register, please contact Donna Hawkins, busybeedgh@gmail.com.

The Creation Care ministry has begun recording interviews to highlight a member or friend of our Saint Mark’s community, discussing their experience or work in caring for creation. Be sure to listen to this interview with Saint Mark’s parishioner, Dr. Lisa Graumlich, who, in addition to being an active member of Saint Mark’s Creation Care ministry, is the Dean of the UW College of the Environment, and the 2021 President-elect of The American Geophysical Union. In her interview she discusses how faith and faith communities fit into the bigger picture of the struggle to preserve the natural world and respond to the global climate catastrophe. We are lucky to have Lisa in our community. Enjoy this interview, and look for more interviews to come every few months.

Be sure to register for "A Life On Our Planet" watch Party on December 13, sponsored by 20s&30s & Creation Care. See announcement above for details.

Interested in being involved? The next Creation Care monthly meeting is coming up on December 14 at 6:30pm. All are welcome. Contact Marjorie Ringness for the Zoom link.

What do you learn when a Rabbi, a Pastor and a Reverend zoom into a men’s health podcast? A lot! For example, there is cross-faith consensus: religion and spirituality play important roles in a holistic approach to health. Religions and spirituality provide support, love, guidance, community and resources in times of stress and need, and in everyday birth, life and death, filling in areas not typically covered by preventative health or the health care system. Saint Mark's own Dean Thomason, Rabbi Weiner of Temple De Hirsch Sinai, and Pastor Anderson of First African Methodist Episcopal Church recently recorded this episode of the Original Guide to Men's Health podcast, all about the intersections of religion and health. Listen here or wherever you find your podcasts.

We learned that residents of Tent City 3 need new blankets. Now that the weather has turned cold and damp, many residents could use an extra layer to keep warm. As part of your holiday planning, consider sending a new blanket or two to these beloved souls.

TC3 is currently located in the Ballard/Crown Hill area. Trinity UMC is hosting them until mid-December. Deliveries can be made to 8500--14th Ave NW Seattle 98117. Questions? Contact The Rev. Canon Cristi Chapman (cchapman@saintmarks.org) or David Wagner (dwager@saintmarks.org). More information is available here.

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.

In each 6–8-minute episode you'll hear a passage of scripture, reflect on the weekly chapter of The Path, and be invited into prayer. Search for "Prayer Podcast for Children" wherever you get your podcasts, or check out all the episodes here!

EVERY FRIDAY at 3 P.M., via Zoom. 

Remember when we used to get together in coffee shops? We can still do that... online! Michael Perera will host afternoon tea once a week; drop in and chat about whatever’s on your mind. Bring your favorite hot beverage and let’s continue hanging out and making the isolation easier. Email Michael Perera with questions or to get the link to join: perera.michael@gmail.com.

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.