Please join in saying the words and singing the hymns printed in bold type.

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The service is sung by the Lay Vicars of Westminster Abbey.

Setting: Missa Eripe me, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c 1525–94)

Following the service a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between The Queen's Commonwealth Trust International and the work of the Abbey. The Queen's Commonwealth Trust supports Young Leaders in the Commonwealth who are transforming their communities.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter. The choir sings the Lent Prose

Refrain Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us : for we have sinned against thee.

God, we implore thee, in thy glory seated : bow down and hearken to thy weeping children : pity and pardon all our grievous trespasses.

Sins oft committed now we lay before thee : with true contrition, now no more we veil them : grant us, Redeemer, loving absolution.

Innocent, captive, taken unresisting : falsely accused, and for us sinners sentenced : save us, we pray thee, Jesu our Redeemer.

Music: plainsong

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

All remain standing. The president introduces the Prayers of Penitence, after which all say

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you
and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
Amen.

The president gives the Absolution

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

All remain standing. The choir sings Kyrie eleison

Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.

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

All remain standing for the Collect

Let us pray.

Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

All sit for the Reading from the Old Testament, Jeremiah 31: 31–34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, 'Know the Lord', for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

The choir sings Psalm 119: 9–16

Antiphon You, O Lord, have charged that we should diligently keep your commandments.

How shall young people cleanse their way
   to keep themselves according to your word?
With my whole heart have I sought you;
   O let me not go astray from your commandments.
Your words have I hidden within my heart,
   that I should not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord;
   O teach me your statutes.
With my lips have I been telling
   of all the judgements of your mouth.
I have taken greater delight in the way of your testimonies
   than in all manner of riches.
I will meditate on your commandments
   and contemplate your ways.
My delight shall be in your statutes
   and I will not forget your word.

The Epistle, Hebrews 5: 5–10

Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
'You are my Son,
   today I have begotten you';
as he says also in another place,
'You are a priest for ever,
   according to the order of Melchizedek.'

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

All stand for the Procession of the Gospel. The choir sings

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.

and all repeat

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.

Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every name.

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.

The reader announces the Gospel, John 12: 20–33

Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.' Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

'Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—"Father, save me from this hour"? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.' Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.' The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, 'An angel has spoken to him.' Jesus answered, 'This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.' He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

The Sermon by The Reverend Justin White, Priest Vicar

All stand to say the Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

All remain standing for the Prayers of Intercession. At the end of each petition there is said

The intercession ends

Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

The president introduces the Peace

Christ is our peace. He has reconciled us to God in one body by the cross. We meet in his name and share his peace.

All may greet one another with the words Peace be with you.

All remain standing to sing the Hymn during the Preparation of the Altar. A collection will be taken. Alternatively, cash and contactless donations may be given as you leave via the Great West Door

Glory be to Jesus,
   who, in bitter pains,
poured for me the life-blood
   from his sacred veins.

Grace and life eternal
   in that blood I find;
blest be his compassion,
   infinitely kind.

Blest through endless ages
   be the precious stream,
which from endless torment
   doth the world redeem.

Abel's blood for vengeance
   pleaded to the skies;
but the blood of Jesus
   for our pardon cries.

Oft as it is sprinkled
   on our guilty hearts,
Satan in confusion
   terror-struck departs.

Oft as earth exulting
   wafts its praise on high,
hell with terror trembles,
   heaven is filled with joy.

Lift ye then your voices;
   swell the mighty flood;
louder still and louder
   praise the precious blood.

Words: 'Viva! viva! Gesu, che per mio bene' c 18th century, translated by Edward Caswall (1814–78)
Tune: 'Caswall' 83 NEH, Friedrich Filitz (1804–76)

All remain standing for the Eucharistic Prayer. The president says

It is indeed right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For as the time of his passion and resurrection draws near the whole world is called to acknowledge his hidden majesty. The power of the life-giving cross reveals the judgement that has come upon the world and the triumph of Christ crucified. He is the victim who dies no more, the Lamb once slain, who lives for ever, our advocate in heaven to plead our cause, exalting us there to join with angels and archangels, for ever praising you and saying:

The choir sings Sanctus

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth, pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

The president continues the Eucharistic Prayer

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;

who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption. As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.

Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

All remain standing. The president introduces the Lord's Prayer

Standing at the foot of the cross, so we say, each in our own language, the prayer that Jesus Christ has taught us,

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 remain standing for the Breaking of the Bread

The congregation is invited to sit as the president and other ministers begin the distribution of Holy Communion. Those wishing to receive come forward as directed by the Stewards. If you receive communion in your own church you are welcome to do so here. Gluten-free wafers are available. Please refrain from dipping the wafer in the chalice. Those who do not wish to receive communion are invited to come for a blessing; please bow your head as you approach. The minister says to each communicant

The body of Christ. Amen.

The blood of Christ. Amen.

During the giving of communion, the choir sings Agnus Dei and the Motet

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Vere languores nostros ipse tulit, et dolores nostros ipse portavit: cujus livore sanati sumus. Dulce lignum, dulces clavos dulcia ferens pondera, quae sola fuisti digna sustinere Regem caelorum, et Dominum.

Surely he has borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows: we are cleansed by his pallor. Sweet wood, sweet nails bearing that sweet burden, which alone were worthy to sustain the King of heaven, and Lord.

Words: after Isaiah 53: 4–5
Music: Tomás Luis de Victoria (c 1548–1611)

All stand to sing the Hymn

We sing the praise of him who died,
   of him who died upon the cross;
the sinner's hope let men deride,
   for this we count the world but loss.

Inscribed upon the cross we see
   in shining letters, 'God is love';
he bears our sins upon the tree;
   he brings us mercy from above.

The cross! it takes our guilt away:
   it holds the fainting spirit up;
it cheers with hope the gloomy day,
   and sweetens ev'ry bitter cup.

It makes the coward spirit brave,
   and nerves the feeble arm for fight;
it takes its terror from the grave,
   and gilds the bed of death with light;

the balm of life, the cure of woe,
   the measure and the pledge of love,
the sinner's refuge here below,
   the angels' theme in heaven above.

Words: Thomas Kelly (1769–1854)
Tune: 'Bow Brickhill' 94 NEH, Sydney Nicholson (1875–1947) Organist of Westminster Abbey 1918–27

Let us pray.

All remain standing. The president says the Prayer after Communion

The president pronounces the Blessing

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Music after the service

Voluntary for double organ Z719, Henry Purcell (1659–95) Organist of Westminster Abbey 1679–95

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Hymns covered by Christian Copyright Licensing (International) Ltd are reproduced under CCL no 1040271 and MRL no 1040288. Common Worship (Church House Publishing, 2000), material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops' Council. Scripture Readings are from the New Revised Standard Version.