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.

Please join in saying the words and singing the hymns 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 Honeypot Children's Charity and the work of the Abbey. Honeypot works to enhance the lives of young carers aged 5–12 years by providing respite breaks and ongoing outreach support.

Order of Service

All stand as the clergy enter

The officiant says a Sentence of Scripture

All remain standing for the Responses

O Lord, open thou our lips
and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord's name be praised.

All sing the Hymn

Good Christians all, rejoice and sing!
Now is the triumph of our King:
to all the world glad news we bring:
   Alleluia!

The Lord of Life is risen for ay:
bring flowers of song to strew his way;
let all the earth rejoice and say:
   Alleluia!

Praise we in songs of victory
that Love, that Life, which cannot die,
and sing with hearts uplifted high:
   Alleluia!

Thy name we bless, O risen Lord,
and sing today with one accord
the life laid down, the life restored:
   Alleluia!

Words: Cyril Alington (1872–1955)
Tune: 'Gelobt sei Gott' 107 NEH, Melchior Vulpius (c 1570–1615)

All sit to say The Easter Anthems

All remain seated to say Psalm 31

In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust :
let me never be put to confusion, deliver me in thy righteousness.
Bow down thine ear to me :
make haste to deliver me.
And be thou my strong rock, and house of defence :
that thou mayest save me.
For thou art my strong rock, and my castle :
be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy name's sake.
Draw me out of the net that they have laid privily for me :
for thou art my strength.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit :
for thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.
I have hated them that hold of superstitious vanities :
and my trust hath been in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy :
for thou hast considered my trouble, and hast known my soul in adversities.
Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy :
but hast set my feet in a large room.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble :
and mine eye is consumed for very heaviness; yea, my soul and my body.
For my life is waxen old with heaviness :
and my years with mourning.
My strength faileth me, because of mine iniquity :
and my bones are consumed.
I became a reproof among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours :
and they of mine acquaintance were afraid of me; and they that did see me without conveyed themselves from me.
I am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind :
I am become like a broken vessel.
For I have heard the blasphemy of the multitude :
and fear is on every side, while they conspire together against me, and take their counsel to take away my life.
But my hope hath been in thee, O Lord :
I have said, Thou art my God.
My time is in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of mine enemies :
and from them that persecute me.
Shew thy servant the light of thy countenance :
and save me for thy mercy's sake.
Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee :
let the ungodly be put to confusion, and be put to silence in the grave.
Let the lying lips be put to silence :
which cruelly, disdainfully, and despitefully, speak against the righteous.
O how plentiful is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee :
and that thou hast prepared for them that put their trust in thee, even before the sons of men!
Thou shalt hide them privily by thine own presence from the provoking of all men :
thou shalt keep them secretly in thy tabernacle from the strife of tongues.
Thanks be to the Lord :
for he hath shewed me marvellous great kindness in a strong city.
And when I made haste, I said :
I am cast out of the sight of thine eyes.
Nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my prayer :
when I cried unto thee.
O love the Lord, all ye his saints :
for the Lord preserveth them that are faithful, and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer.
Be strong, and he shall establish your heart :
all ye that put your trust in the Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

All remain seated for the first Lesson, Isaiah 63: 7–15

I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord,
   the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
because of all that the Lord has done for us,
   and the great favour to the house of Israel
that he has shown them according to his mercy,
   according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For he said, 'Surely they are my people,
   children who will not deal falsely';
and he became their saviour
   in all their distress.
It was no messenger or angel
   but his presence that saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
   he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

But they rebelled
   and grieved his holy spirit;
therefore he became their enemy;
   he himself fought against them.
Then they remembered the days of old,
   of Moses his servant.
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea
   with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who put within them
   his holy spirit,
who caused his glorious arm
   to march at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
   to make for himself an everlasting name,
   who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
   they did not stumble.
Like cattle that go down into the valley,
   the spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
Thus you led your people,
   to make for yourself a glorious name.

Look down from heaven and see,
   from your holy and glorious habitation.
Where are your zeal and your might?
   The yearning of your heart and your compassion?
   They are withheld from me.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand to say Te Deum laudamus

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein.
To thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty;
thine honourable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ;
thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints, in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we magnify thee,
and we worship thy name ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.

All sit for the second Lesson, 1 Corinthians 10: 1–13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.' We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand to say Benedictus

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hands of all that hate us;
to perform the mercy promised to our forefathers,
and to remember his holy covenant,
to perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham,
that he would give us,
that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him
all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest;
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation unto his people
for the remission of their sins.
Through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us,
to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

All face east to say together the Apostles' Creed

The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

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

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

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.

O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.

O Lord, save The King.
And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

Endue thy ministers with righteousness.
And make thy chosen people joyful.

O Lord, save thy people.
And bless thine inheritance.

Give peace in our time, O Lord.
Because there is none other that fighteth for us,
but only thou, O God.

O God, make clean our hearts within us.
And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

The officiant says the Collects; of the day, for Peace, and for Grace

Almighty God, who hast given thine only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of godly life; give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 say

All stand to sing the Hymn

Put thou thy trust in God,
   in duty's path go on;
walk in his strength with faith and hope,
   so shall thy work be done.

Commit thy ways to him,
   thy works into his hands,
and rest on his unchanging word,
   who heav'n and earth commands.

Though years on years roll on,
   his cov'nant shall endure;
though clouds and darkness hide his path,
   the promised grace is sure.

Give to the winds thy fears;
   hope, and be undismayed:
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears;
   God shall lift up thy head.

Through waves and clouds and storms
   his power will clear thy way:
wait thou his time; the darkest night
   shall end in brightest day.

Leave to his sovereign sway
   to choose and to command;
so shalt thou, wondering, own his way,
   how wise, how strong his hand.

Words: 'Befiehl du deine wege' Paul Gerhardt (1607–76) translated by John Wesley (1703–91) and others
Tune: 'Doncaster' 562 CP, Samuel Wesley (1766–1837)

All remain standing for the Blessing, to which all respond Amen.

Those who wish to may sit for the remainder of the organ voluntary