Order of Service

Today's services

Westminster Abbey

Tuesday, 20th September 2022

17:00

Evening Prayer

Please join in saying the words printed in bold type.

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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 Psalms 47 and 48

O clap your hands together, all ye people :
O sing unto God with the voice of melody.
For the Lord is high, and to be feared :
he is the great King upon all the earth.
He shall subdue the people under us :
and the nations under our feet.
He shall choose out an heritage for us :
even the worship of Jacob, whom he loved.
God is gone up with a merry noise :
and the Lord with the sound of the trump.
O sing praises, sing praises unto our God :
O sing praises, sing praises unto our King.
For God is the King of all the earth :
sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the heathen :
God sitteth upon his holy seat.
The princes of the people are joined unto the people of the God of Abraham :
for God, which is very high exalted, doth defend the earth, as it were with a shield.

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.


Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised :
in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.
The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth :
upon the north-side lieth the city of the great King; God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.
For lo, the kings of the earth :
are gathered, and gone by together.
They marvelled to see such things :
they were astonished, and suddenly cast down.
Fear came there upon them, and sorrow :
as upon a woman in her travail.
Thou shalt break the ships of the sea :
through the east-wind.
Like as we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God :
God upholdeth the same for ever.
We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God :
in the midst of thy temple.
O God, according to thy name, so is thy praise unto the world's end :
thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Judah be glad :
because of thy judgements.
Walk about Sion, and go round about her :
and tell the towers thereof.
Mark well her bulwarks, set up her houses :
that ye may tell them that come after.
For this God is our God for ever and ever :
he shall be our guide unto death.

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, Proverbs 21: 1–18

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
   he turns it wherever he will.
All deeds are right in the sight of the doer,
   but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
   is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
   the lamp of the wicked—are sin.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
   but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
   is a fleeting vapour and a snare of death.
The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
   because they refuse to do what is just.
The way of the guilty is crooked,
   but the conduct of the pure is right.
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
   than in a house shared with a contentious wife.
The souls of the wicked desire evil;
   their neighbours find no mercy in their eyes.
When a scoffer is punished, the simple become wiser;
   when the wise are instructed, they increase in knowledge.
The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
   he casts the wicked down to ruin.
If you close your ear to the cry of the poor,
   you will cry out and not be heard.
A gift in secret averts anger;
   and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous,
   but dismay to evildoers.
Whoever wanders from the way of understanding
   will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want;
   whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.
The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
   and the faithless for the upright.

Here ends the first lesson.


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, Mark 6: 30–44

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.' But he answered them, 'You give them something to eat.' They said to him, 'Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?' And he said to them, 'How many loaves have you? Go and see.' When they had found out, they said, 'Five, and two fish.' Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

Here ends the second lesson.

 

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 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 aid against all perils

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; 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 King's Majesty; for the Royal Family; and for the Members of the Order of the Bath

O Lord, our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lord, King Charles; and so replenish him with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that he may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way. Endue him plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant him in health and wealth long to live; strengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies; and finally after this life he may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless Camilla The Queen Consort, William 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


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