Join us for our annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 11:15 a.m. on Dec 15th. The Adult Choir and Children’s Choristers will sing a variety of beautiful music for the season, and we’ll hear the Christmas story from the pages of scripture. The choirs will be joined by talented instrumentalists from the St. Mark’s community.

St. Nicholas will be visiting our 9am Family service to spread some Christmas cheer!

Join Us for Cookie Giving at Community First! Village on Dec. 7

Families of St. Mark's, spend the afternoon of Dec 7th (1-4pm) at the Bushmans' home in Community First! Village, baking, packaging, and sharing cookies with their neighbors. Please bring a cookie mix or ingredients to prepare, along with any needed baking sheets, parchment paper, mixing bowls, and gift boxes/bags. Please sign up here with what you plan to contribute. Hope to see you there!

Join us for a peaceful Advent Quiet Day hosted by the St. Theresa Chapter of St. Mark's DOK on Sat., Dec. 7, from 9am to 2pm. All are welcome! The day includes a continental breakfast, Morning Prayer, guided meditations, personal quiet time, a salad and sandwich lunch, a homily from Mother Zoe, and concludes with the Holy Eucharist. Come for the entire day or as long as you’re able.

Join us on during coffee hour to make your own Advent wreath, or to refresh one you already have.

An Advent Wreath is a way of marking the season of preparation for Christmas. There are four Sundays in the season of Advent (the word means arrival).  The wreath has four candles around its base.  Each candle is lit, accumulatively, on each Sunday in the season. You can say a prayer such as the collect for that Sunday, at each candle-lighting.  See below.

The candles might be either all the seasonal color of Advent (at St. Mark’s that is blue); or, three in the seasonal color, with one pink.  The pink candle marks the third Sunday in Advent.  Traditionally, Advent, a time of preparation of the Lord’s coming, has been penitential in nature.  The third Sunday, known as Gaudete Sunday, has been a respite from those penitential disciplines.  

Often, a fifth, white candle is placed in the middle of the wreath, and lit on Christmas Eve.

First Sunday of Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Third Sunday of Advent

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Everything we have belongs to God, and we are stewards of His gifts. Stewardship means using these resources for God’s purposes and glory. Through our giving, we support ministry both within and beyond St. Mark’s, while deepening our trust in God. The mission of St. Mark’s is funded by the generous pledges of our members, and we encourage everyone to submit a pledge card annually, with the goal of eventually tithing 10% of their income. On All Saints Sunday (November 3), we gather and bless these pledges during worship. If you can’t attend, you can still submit your pledge by mailing it to the church office or filling out our online forms: stmarksaustin.org/pledgenow