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 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 Christian Aid and the work of the Abbey. Christian Aid exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty.

Order of Service

The choir sings the Introit

O come, ye servants of the Lord,
And praise his holy name.
From early morn to setting sun
His might on earth proclaim.

His laws are just, and glad the heart:
He makes his mercies known.
Ye princes come, ye people too,
And bow before his throne.

Words: 'Laudate nomen Domini' after Psalms 113: 1, 3; 19: 8, anonymous contrafactum c 18th century
Music: Christopher Tye (c 1505–c 72)

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

Music: Humphrey Clucas (b 1941)

All sit. The choir sings Psalm 12

Help me, Lord, for there is not one godly man left : for the faithful are minished from among the children of men.
They talk of vanity every one with his neighbour : they do but flatter with their lips, and dissemble in their double heart.
The Lord shall root out all deceitful lips : and the tongue that speaketh proud things;
Which have said, With our tongue will we prevail : we are they that ought to speak, who is lord over us?
Now for the comfortless troubles' sake of the needy : and because of the deep sighing of the poor,
I will up, saith the Lord : and will help every one from him that swelleth against him, and will set him at rest.
The words of the Lord are pure words : even as the silver, which from the earth is tried, and purified seven times in the fire.
Thou shalt keep them, O Lord : thou shalt preserve him from this generation for ever.
The ungodly walk on every side : when they are exalted, the children of men are put to rebuke.

All stand

Chant: Charles Wilton (1761–1832)

All sit for the first Lesson, Jeremiah 5: 1–19

Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
   look around and take note!
Search its squares and see
   if you can find one person
who acts justly
   and seeks truth—
so that I may pardon Jerusalem.
Although they say, 'As the Lord lives',
   yet they swear falsely.
O Lord, do your eyes not look for truth?
You have struck them,
   but they felt no anguish;
you have consumed them,
   but they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
   they have refused to turn back.

Then I said, 'These are only the poor,
   they have no sense;
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
   the law of their God.
Let me go to the rich
   and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
   the law of their God.'
But they all alike had broken the yoke,
   they had burst the bonds.

Therefore a lion from the forest shall kill them,
   a wolf from the desert shall destroy them.
A leopard is watching against their cities;
   everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces—
because their transgressions are many,
   their apostasies are great.

How can I pardon you?
   Your children have forsaken me,
   and have sworn by those who are no gods.
When I fed them to the full,
   they committed adultery
   and trooped to the houses of prostitutes.
They were well-fed lusty stallions,
   each neighing for his neighbour's wife.
Shall I not punish them for these things?
         says the Lord;
   and shall I not bring retribution
   on a nation such as this?

Go up through her vine-rows and destroy,
   but do not make a full end;
strip away her branches,
   for they are not the Lord's.
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
   have been utterly faithless to me,
         says the Lord.
They have spoken falsely of the Lord,
   and have said, 'He will do nothing.
No evil will come upon us,
   and we shall not see sword or famine.'
The prophets are nothing but wind,
   for the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them!

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts:
Because they have spoken this word,
I am now making my words in your mouth a fire,
   and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.
I am going to bring upon you
   a nation from far away, O house of Israel,
         says the Lord.
It is an enduring nation,
   it is an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know,
   nor can you understand what they say.
Their quiver is like an open tomb;
   all of them are mighty warriors.
They shall eat up your harvest and your food;
   they shall eat up your sons and your daughters;
they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
   they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
they shall destroy with the sword
   your fortified cities in which you trust.

But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, 'Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Magnificat

Evening Canticles in D, George Dyson (1883–1964)

All sit for the second Lesson, Romans 7: 7–end

What should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.

Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Nunc dimittis

Evening Canticles in D, George Dyson

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 God, the strength of all them that put their trust in thee, mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping of thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed; 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: Humphrey Clucas

All sit. The choir sings the Anthem

Blessed city, heavenly Salem,
Vision dear of peace and love,
Who of living stones art builded
In the height of heaven above,
And by Angel hands apparelled
As a bride dost earthward move.

Out of heaven from God descending,
New and ready to be wed
To thy Lord, whose love espoused thee,
Fair adorned shalt thou be led;
All thy gates and all thy bulwarks
Of pure gold are fashioned.

Bright thy gates of pearl are shining,
They are open evermore;
And, their well earned rest attaining
Thither faithful souls do soar,
Who for Christ's dear name in this world
Pain and tribulation bore.

Many a blow and biting sculpture
Polished well those stones elect,
In their places now compacted
By the heavenly Architect,
Nevermore to leave the Temple
Which with them the Lord hath decked.

To this Temple, where we call thee,
Come, O Lord of hosts, today;
With thy wonted loving kindness
Hear thy servants as they pray;
And thy fullest benediction
Shed within its walls alway.
   Amen.

Words: 'Urbs beata Jerusalem' c 7th century, translated by John Mason Neale (1818–66)
Music: Edward Bairstow (1874–1946)

All kneel or remain seated for the Intercessions

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 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

Father of heaven, whose love profound
a ransom for our souls hath found,
before thy throne we sinners bend:
to us thy pardoning love extend.

Almighty Son, incarnate Word,
our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord,
before thy throne we sinners bend:
to us thy saving grace extend.

Eternal Spirit, by whose breath
the soul is raised from sin and death,
before thy throne we sinners bend:
to us thy quickening power extend.

Thrice Holy! Father, Spirit, Son,
mysterious Godhead, Three in One,
before thy throne we sinners bend:
grace, pardon, life to us extend.
   Amen.

Words: Edward Cooper (1770–1833)
Tune: 'Rievaulx' 358ii NEH, John Bacchus Dykes (1823–76)

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

All stand to sing the Hymn during which a collection will be taken. Alternatively, cash and contactless donations may be given as you leave via the Great West Door

All my hope on God is founded;
   he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
   only good and only true.
God unknown,
he alone
calls my heart to be his own.

Pride of man and earthly glory,
   sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil he buildeth,
   tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God's power,
hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.

God's great goodness aye endureth,
   deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him,
   beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth th'Almighty giver
   bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
   pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

Still from man to God eternal
   sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
   for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call
one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.

Words: 'Meine Hoffnung stehet feste' Joachim Neander (1650–80), translated by Robert Bridges (1844–1930)
Tune: 'Michael' 333 NEH, Herbert Howells (1892–1983) 

The Blessing. All respond Amen.

All remain standing as the clergy depart

Music after the service

Presto (Sonata in G Op 28), Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

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). Further details can be found here.

If you have a son who enjoys singing and you would like further details of the world-renowned Abbey Choir and its unique choir school, please click here.

Dr Emma Margrett, Head, Westminster Abbey Choir School, Dean's Yard, London, SW1P 3NY, 020 7222 6151 email

Mr Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, The Chapter Office, 20 Dean's Yard, London, SW1P 3PA, 020 7654 4854 email

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