Welcome to Westminster Abbey. Daily prayer has been offered in this place for over a thousand years, and your participation in today's service is warmly welcomed.

The service always includes one or more psalms. These ancient prayers, taken from the Old Testament, reflect the full range of human emotions and experiences; from the depths of anger, resentment, and abandonment to the heights of ecstatic joy and praise. They were used by Jesus, and have always been at the heart of the Church's daily prayer.

The canticles Magnificat (Luke 1: 46–55) and Nunc dimittis (Luke 2: 29–32) reflect two responses to the Incarnation (God becoming fully human in Jesus Christ). Both speak of the fulfilment of God's promises, not just to 'Abraham and his seed', but also 'to be a light to lighten the Gentiles' (all nations). With their themes of fulfilment and completion, these texts have been given central place for many centuries in the Church's prayers for the evening and at the end of the day.

Please join in saying the words printed in bold type.

The church is served by a hearing loop. Users should turn their hearing aid to the setting marked T.

Photography, filming, and sound recording are not allowed in the Abbey during services. Please ensure that mobile telephones and other electronic devices are silent.

Following the service a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between The Queen's Commonwealth Trust International and the work of the Abbey. The Queen's Commonwealth Trust supports Young Leaders in the Commonwealth who are transforming their communities.

Order of Service

All stand as the clergy enter

The officiant says a sentence of Scripture

All sit to say Psalms 130 and 143

Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord :
Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well :
the voice of my complaint.
If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss :
O Lord, who may abide it?
For there is mercy with thee :
therefore shalt thou be feared.
I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him :
in his word is my trust.
My soul fleeth unto the Lord :
before the morning watch, I say, before the morning watch.
O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy :
and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel :
from all his sins.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and consider my desire :
hearken unto me for thy truth and righteousness' sake.
And enter not into judgement with thy servant :
for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground :
he hath laid me in the darkness, as the men that have been long dead.
Therefore is my spirit vexed within me :
and my heart within me is desolate.
Yet do I remember the time past; I muse upon all thy works :
yea, I exercise myself in the works of thy hands.
I stretch forth my hands unto thee :
my soul gaspeth unto thee as a thirsty land.
Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, for my spirit waxeth faint :
hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
O let me hear thy loving-kindness betimes in the morning, for in thee is my trust :
shew thou me the way that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies :
for I flee unto thee to hide me.
Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee, for thou art my God :
let thy loving Spirit lead me forth into the land of righteousness.
Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake :
and for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
And of thy goodness slay mine enemies :
and destroy all them that vex my soul; for I am thy servant.

All remain seated for the first Lesson, Lamentations 5: 15–end

The joy of our hearts has ceased;
   our dancing has been turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head;
   woe to us, for we have sinned!
Because of this our hearts are sick,
   because of these things our eyes have grown dim:
because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate;
   jackals prowl over it.

But you, O Lord, reign for ever;
   your throne endures to all generations.
Why have you forgotten us completely?
   Why have you forsaken us these many days?
Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored;
   renew our days as of old—
unless you have utterly rejected us,
   and are angry with us beyond measure.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand to say Magnificat

All sit for the second Lesson, John 19: 38–end

Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand to say Nunc dimittis

All face east to say together 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 Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell;
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 Ghost;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Let us pray.

All kneel or sit for the Lesser Litany; the Lord's Prayer and the Responses

Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

The officiant says the Collects; of the day, of Lent, for peace, and for aid against all perils

Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross, who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent; create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels and all just works do proceed: Give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that by thee we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Lighten our darkness we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The officiant says the Prayers; for the Royal Family, and for the Members of the Order of the Bath

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family: endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God save our Gracious Sovereign, and all the Members of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath living and departed. Amen.

All remain kneeling or seated for the Intercessions, at the end of which all say

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.

All stand as the clergy depart

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