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.

The service is sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey.

During the final hymn a collection will be taken. The money from today's services will be divided equally between the Cardinal Hume Centre and the work of the Abbey. The Cardinal Hume Centre, based in Westminster, supports families and young people facing poverty and homelessness by helping them to thrive.

Order of Service

The choir sings the Introit

Locus iste a Deo factus est, inaestimabile sacramentum: irreprehensibilis est.

This place was made by God: a priceless and unblemished sign of his presence.

Words: Gradual, Mass for the dedication of a church
Music: Anton Bruckner (1824–96)

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

The officiant welcomes the congregation

All remain standing as the officiant introduces a general Confession

Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy. And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart, and humble voice, unto the throne of the heavenly grace, saying after me;

All kneel or sit

Almighty and most merciful Father; we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.

The officiant gives the Absolution

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live; and hath given power and commandment to his ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins: he pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel. Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him, which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure, and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

All say together the Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

All stand. The officiant and choir sing the Responses

Composer: Richard Ayleward (1626–69)

All sit. The choir sings Psalm 29

Bring unto the Lord, O ye mighty, bring young rams unto the Lord : ascribe unto the Lord worship and strength.
Give the Lord the honour due unto his name : worship the Lord with holy worship.
It is the Lord that commandeth the waters : it is the glorious God that maketh the thunder.
It is the Lord that ruleth the sea; the voice of the Lord is mighty in operation : the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.
The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedar-trees : yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Libanus.
He maketh them also to skip like a calf : Libanus also, and Sirion, like a young unicorn.
The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire; the voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness : yea, the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Cades.
The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to bring forth young, and discovereth the thick bushes : in his temple doth every man speak of his honour.
The Lord sitteth above the water-flood : and the Lord remaineth a King for ever.
The Lord shall give strength unto his people : the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

All stand

Chant: Walter Parratt (1841–1924)

All sit for the first Lesson, Amos 2: 4–end

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Judah,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they have rejected the law of the Lord,
   and have not kept his statutes,
but they have been led astray by the same lies
   after which their ancestors walked.
So I will send a fire on Judah,
   and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Israel,
   and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;
because they sell the righteous for silver,
   and the needy for a pair of sandals—
they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,
   and push the afflicted out of the way;
father and son go in to the same girl,
   so that my holy name is profaned;
they lay themselves down beside every altar
   on garments taken in pledge;
and in the house of their God they drink
   wine bought with fines they imposed.

Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,
   whose height was like the height of cedars,
   and who was as strong as oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above,
   and his roots beneath.
Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,
   and led you for forty years in the wilderness,
   to possess the land of the Amorite.
And I raised up some of your children to be prophets
   and some of your youths to be nazirites.
   Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?
          says the Lord.

But you made the nazirites drink wine,
   and commanded the prophets,
   saying, 'You shall not prophesy.'

So, I will press you down in your place,
   just as a cart presses down
   when it is full of sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
   and the strong shall not retain their strength,
   nor shall the mighty save their lives;
those who handle the bow shall not stand,
   and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves,
   nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;
and those who are stout of heart among the mighty
   shall flee away naked on that day,
          says the Lord.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Magnificat

Evening Service in A, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)

All sit for the second Lesson, Ephesians 4: 17–end

This I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practise every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ! For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Nunc dimittis

Evening Service in A, Charles Villiers Stanford

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. The officiant and choir sing 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 sings the Collects; of the day, for peace, and for aid against all perils

O Lord, we beseech thee favourably to hear the prayers of thy people; that we, who are justly punished for our offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. 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.

Richard Ayleward

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, Camilla the Queen Consort, 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 sit. The choir sings the Anthem

Laß dich nur nichts nicht dauern mit Trauern, sei stille,
Wie Gott es fügt, so sei vergnügt mein Wille!

Was willst du heute sorgen auf Morgen? Der Eine
Steht allem für, der gibt auch dir das Deine.

Sei nur in allem Handel ohn' Wandel, steh' feste,
Was Gott beschleußt, das ist und heißt das Beste.
   Amen.

Do not be sorrowful or regretful, be calm, as God has ordained, so my will shall be content!

What do you want to worry about from day to day? There is One who stands above all, who gives you too what is yours.

Only be steadfast in all you do, stand firm, what God has decided, that is and must be the best. Amen.

Words: Paul Flemming (1609–40)
Music: Geistliches Lied Op 30, Johannes Brahms (1833–97)

All kneel or remain 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 to sing the Hymn

All ye who seek a comfort sure
   in trouble and distress,
whatever sorrow vex the mind,
   or guilt the soul oppress,

Jesus, who gave himself for you
   upon the cross to die,
opens to you his sacred heart:
   O to that heart draw nigh.

Ye hear how kindly he invites;
   ye hear his words so blest—
'All ye that labour come to me,
   and I will give you rest.'

O Jesus, joy of saints on high,
   thou hope of sinners here,
attracted by those loving words
to thee I lift my prayer.
   
Wash thou my wounds in that dear blood
   which forth from thee doth flow;
new grace, new hope inspire, a new
   and better heart bestow.

Words: Quicumque certum quaeritis 18th century, translated by Edward Caswall (1814–78)
Tune: St Bernard 63 NEH adapted from a melody in Heinrich Lindenborn's Tochter Sion Köln, 1741

The Sermon by The Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Canon in Residence

All stand to sing the Hymn during which a collection will be taken. The money from today's services will be divided equally between the work of the Abbey and the Cardinal Hume Centre. Alternatively, cash and contactless donations may be given as you leave via the Great West Door

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
   and in the depth be praise,
in all his words most wonderful,
   most sure in all his ways.

O loving wisdom of our God!
   when all was sin and shame,
a second Adam to the fight
   and to the rescue came.

O wisest love! that flesh and blood,
   which did in Adam fail,
should strive afresh against their foe,
   should strive and should prevail;

and that a higher gift than grace
   should flesh and blood refine,
God's presence and his very self,
   and essence all-divine.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,
   and in the depth be praise,
in all his words most wonderful,
   most sure in all his ways.

Words: John Henry Newman (1801–90)
Music: Gerontius 439i NEH, John Bacchus Dykes (1823–76)

The Blessing. All respond Amen.

All remain standing as the clergy depart

Music after the service

Adagio, Robert Schumann (1810–56) Six Studies in Canonic Form Op 56

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

CHORISTERSHIPS AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Enquiries are welcomed at any time. If you have a son who enjoys singing, and would like further details of the world-renowned Abbey Choir and its unique choir school, please visit www.abbeychoirschool.org

Mr Mark Mitchell, Acting Headmaster, Westminster Abbey Choir School, Dean's Yard, London, SW1P 3NY, Tel 020 7222 6151 [email protected]
Mr Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, The Chapter Office, 20 Dean's Yard, London, SW1P 3PA, Tel 020 7654 4854 [email protected]

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