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. At choral Evensong most of the service is sung by the choir on our behalf. We participate through our presence and our listening, that the words and the music might become a prayer within us and lift us to contemplate God's beauty and glory.

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 and singing the hymn 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.

Following the service a collection will be taken. The money from today's services will be divided equally between the Diocese of Mombasa Water Project and the work of the Abbey.

Order of Service

The choir sings the Introit

Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake, lay not our sins to our charge, but forgive that is past; and give us grace to amend our sinful lives, to decline from sin, and incline to virtue, that we may walk in a perfect heart, before thee now and evermore. Amen.

Words: from Henry Bull's Christian Prayers and Holy Meditations 1566
Music: attributed to Richard Farrant (c 1525–80)

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

All remain standing as the officiant introduces the 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 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

Music: Bernard Rose (1916–96)

All sit. The choir sings Psalm 41

Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy : the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble.
The Lord preserve him, and keep him alive, that he may be blessed upon earth : and deliver not thou him into the will of his enemies.
The Lord comfort him, when he lieth sick upon his bed : make thou all his bed in his sickness.
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me : heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.
Mine enemies speak evil of me : When shall he die, and his name perish?
And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity : and his heart conceiveth falsehood within himself, and when he cometh forth he telleth it.
All mine enemies whisper together against me : even against me do they imagine this evil.
Let the sentence of guiltiness proceed against him : and now that he lieth, let him rise up no more.
Yea, even mine own familiar friend, whom I trusted : who did also eat of my bread, hath laid great wait for me.
But be thou merciful unto me, O Lord : raise thou me up again, and I shall reward them.
By this I know thou favourest me : that mine enemy doth not triumph against me.
And when I am in my health, thou upholdest me : and shalt set me before thy face for ever.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel : world without end. Amen.

All stand

Chant: Joseph Barnby (1838–96)

All sit for the first Lesson, Job 28

Job said:
'Surely there is a mine for silver,
   and a place for gold to be refined.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
   and copper is smelted from ore.
Miners put an end to darkness,
   and search out to the farthest bound
   the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
They open shafts in a valley away from human habitation;
   they are forgotten by travellers,
   they sway suspended, remote from people.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread;
   but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
Its stones are the place of sapphires,
   and its dust contains gold.

'That path no bird of prey knows,
   and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
The proud wild animals have not trodden it;
   the lion has not passed over it.

'They put their hand to the flinty rock,
   and overturn mountains by the roots.
They cut out channels in the rocks,
   and their eyes see every precious thing.
The sources of the rivers they probe;
   hidden things they bring to light.

'But where shall wisdom be found?
   And where is the place of understanding?
Mortals do not know the way to it,
   and it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, "It is not in me",
   and the sea says, "It is not with me."
It cannot be bought for gold,
   and silver cannot be weighed out as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
   in precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
   nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
   the price of wisdom is above pearls.
The chrysolite of Ethiopia cannot compare with it,
   nor can it be valued in pure gold.

'Where then does wisdom come from?
   And where is the place of understanding?
It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
   and concealed from the birds of the air.
Abaddon and Death say,
   "We have heard a rumour of it with our ears."

'God understands the way to it,
   and he knows its place.
For he looks to the ends of the earth,
   and sees everything under the heavens.
When he gave to the wind its weight,
   and apportioned out the waters by measure;
when he made a decree for the rain,
   and a way for the thunderbolt;
then he saw it and declared it;
   he established it, and searched it out.
And he said to humankind,
"Truly, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
   and to depart from evil is understanding." '

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Magnificat

Chichester Service, William Walton (1902–83)

All sit for the second Lesson, Hebrews 11: 32—12: 2

What more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Nunc dimittis

Chichester Service, William Walton

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

Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; 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.

Music: Bernard Rose

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 sit. The choir sings the Anthem

I would like to make a special appeal to the men of the army. Brothers, each one of you is one of us. We are all the same people. Before any order to kill a man may give, God's law must prevail—'Thou shalt not kill'.

For I hear the whispering of many—
   terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
   as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord;
   I say, 'You are my God.'

In the name of God, then, in the name of this suffering people whose laments rise up to heaven each day more tumultuously, I beg you, I beseech you, I order you, in the name of God: stop the repression!

Words: Óscar Romero (1917–80) and Psalm 31: 13–14
Music: A Special Appeal James MacMillan (b 1959)

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

Give me the wings of faith to rise
   within the veil, and see
the saints above, how great their joys,
   how bright their glories be.

Once they were mourning here below,
   and wet their couch with tears;
they wrestled hard, as we do now,
   with sins and doubts and fears.

I ask them whence their victory came:
   they, with united breath,
ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
   their triumph to his death.

They marked the footsteps that he trod,
   his zeal inspired their breast,
and, following their incarnate God,
   they reached the promised rest.

Our glorious Leader claims our praise
   for his own pattern given;
while the great cloud of witnesses
   show the same path to heaven.

Words: Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
Tune: Song 67 225i NEH, Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625), Organist of Westminster Abbey 1623–25

All remain standing as the choir and clergy depart

Music after the service

Allegro moderato e serioso (Sonata in F minor Op 65 no 1), Felix Mendelssohn (1809–47)

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 daughter aged 10 or 11, who would like to sing with the St Margaret's Choristers, please contact the Director of Music at St Margaret's, Greg Morris email.

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 click here.

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

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