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.

Order of Service

All stand as the clergy enter

The officiant says a sentence of Scripture

All remain standing as the officiant introduces a general Confession

Beloved, we are come together in the presence of Almighty God and of the whole company of heaven to offer unto him through our Lord Jesus Christ our worship and praise and thanksgiving; to make confession of our sins; to pray, as well for others as for ourselves, that we may know more truly the greatness of God's love and show forth in our lives the fruits of his grace; and to ask on behalf of all people such things as their well-being doth require. Wherefore let us kneel and keep silence, and remember God's presence with us now.

All kneel or sit to say together

O God, our Father, we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed; we have not loved thee with all our heart; we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves. Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee; cleanse us from our sins; and help us to overcome our faults; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The officiant gives the Absolution

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant unto you pardon and remission of all your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

All stand to say 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 sit to say Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, O my soul :
O Lord my God, thou art become exceeding glorious; thou art clothed with majesty and honour.
Thou deckest thyself with light as it were with a garment :
and spreadest out the heavens like a curtain.
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters :
and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind.
He maketh his angels spirits :
and his ministers a flaming fire.
He laid the foundations of the earth :
that it never should move at any time.
Thou coveredst it with the deep like as with a garment :
the waters stand in the hills.
At thy rebuke they ?ee :
at the voice of thy thunder they are afraid.
They go up as high as the hills, and down to the valleys beneath :
even unto the place which thou hast appointed for them.
Thou hast set them their bounds which they shall not pass :
neither turn again to cover the earth.
He sendeth the springs into the rivers :
which run among the hills.
All beasts of the ?eld drink thereof :
and the wild asses quench their thirst.
Beside them shall the fowls of the air have their habitation :
and sing among the branches.
He watereth the hills from above :
the earth is ?lled with the fruit of thy works.
He bringeth forth grass for the cattle :
and green herb for the service of men;
that he may bring food out of the earth, and wine that maketh glad the heart of man :
and oil to make him a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen man's heart.
The trees of the Lord also are full of sap :
even the cedars of Libanus which he hath planted;
wherein the birds make their nests :
and the ?r-trees are a dwelling for the stork.
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats :
and so are the stony rocks for the conies.
He appointed the moon for certain seasons :
and the sun knoweth his going down.
Thou makest darkness that it may be night :
wherein all the beasts of the forest do move.
The lions roaring after their prey :
do seek their meat from God.
The sun ariseth, and they get them away together :
and lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labour :
until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works :
in wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches.
So is the great and wide sea also :
wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan :
whom thou hast made to take his pastime therein.
These wait all upon thee :
that thou mayest give them meat in due season.
When thou givest it them they gather it :
and when thou openest thy hand they are filled with good.
When thou hidest thy face they are troubled :
when thou takest away their breath they die, and are turned again to their dust.
When thou lettest thy breath go forth they shall be made :
and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
The glorious majesty of the Lord shall endure for ever :
the Lord shall rejoice in his works.
The earth shall tremble at the look of him :
if he do but touch the hills, they shall smoke.
I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live :
I will praise my God while I have my being.
And so shall my words please him :
my joy shall be in the Lord.
As for sinners, they shall be consumed out of the earth, and the ungodly shall come to an end :
praise thou the Lord, O my soul, praise 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, Jeremiah 14: 1–9

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
Judah mourns
   and her gates languish;
they lie in gloom on the ground,
   and the cry of Jerusalem goes up.
Her nobles send their servants for water;
   they come to the cisterns,
they find no water,
   they return with their vessels empty.
They are ashamed and dismayed
   and cover their heads,
because the ground is cracked.
   Because there has been no rain on the land
the farmers are dismayed;
   they cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn
   because there is no grass.
The wild asses stand on the bare heights,
   they pant for air like jackals;
their eyes fail
   because there is no herbage.

Although our iniquities testify against us,
   act, O Lord, for your name's sake;
our apostasies indeed are many,
   and we have sinned against you.
O hope of Israel,
   its saviour in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
   like a traveller turning aside for the night?
Why should you be like someone confused,
   like a mighty warrior who cannot give help?
Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us,
   and we are called by your name;
   do not forsake us!

All stand to say Magnificat

My soul doth magnify the Lord :
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded :
the lowliness of his hand-maiden.
For behold, from henceforth :
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me :
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him :
throughout all generations.
He hath shewed strength with his arm :
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat :
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things :
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel :
as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.

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 sit for the second Lesson, Luke 8: 4–15

When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to Jesus, he said in a parable: 'A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.' As he said this, he called out, 'Let anyone with ears to hear listen!'

Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, 'To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that
"looking they may not perceive,
   and listening they may not understand."

'Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.'

All stand to say Nunc dimittis

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace : according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen : thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared : before the face of all people;
to be a light to lighten the Gentiles : and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

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

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.

The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

All kneel or sit for 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 Queen.
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 aid against all perils

O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; we humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which be profitable for us; 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 Lady Queen Elizabeth, Charles Prince 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

You can help us to improve our prototype order of service by completing a short online survey. Thank you for your support.