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.

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.

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.

Following the service, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between Unseen and the work of the Abbey. Unseen provides safehouses and support in the community for survivors of trafficking and modern slavery. Unseen also runs the UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline.

Order of Service

All stand as the clergy enter

The officiant says a Sentence of Scripture

All remain standing for 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 sing the Hymn

New every morning is the love
   our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
   restored to life and power and thought.

New mercies, each returning day,
   hover around us while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
   new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

If on our daily course our mind
   be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
   God will provide for sacrifice.

The trivial round, the common task,
   would furnish all we ought to ask,
room to deny ourselves, a road
   to bring us daily nearer God.

Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
   fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
   to live more nearly as we pray.

Words: John Keble (1792–1866)
Tune: 'Melcombe' 238 NEH, Samuel Webbe (1740–1816)

All sit to say Venite exultemus Domino

All remain seated to say Psalm 68

Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered :
let them also that hate him flee before him.
Like as the smoke vanisheth, so shalt thou drive them away :
and like as wax melteth at the fire, so let the ungodly perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God :
let them also be merry and joyful.
O sing unto God, and sing praises unto his name :
magnify him that rideth upon the heavens, as it were upon an horse; praise him in his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
He is a Father of the fatherless, and defendeth the cause of the widows :
even God in his holy habitation.
He is the God that maketh men to be of one mind in an house, and bringeth the prisoners out of captivity :
but letteth the runagates continue in scarceness.
O God, when thou wentest forth before the people :
when thou wentest through the wilderness,
the earth shook, and the heavens dropped at the presence of God :
even as Sinai also was moved at the presence of God, who is the God of Israel.
Thou, O God, sentest a gracious rain upon thine inheritance :
and refreshedst it when it was weary.
Thy congregation shall dwell therein :
for thou, O God, hast of thy goodness prepared for the poor.
The Lord gave the word :
great was the company of the preachers.
Kings with their armies did ?ee, and were discom?ted :
and they of the household divided the spoil.
Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove :
that is covered with silver wings, and her feathers like gold.
When the Almighty scattered kings for their sake :
then were they as white as snow in Salmon.
As the hill of Basan, so is God's hill :
even an high hill, as the hill of Basan.
Why hop ye so, ye high hills? This is God's hill, in the which it pleaseth him to dwell :
yea, the Lord will abide in it for ever.
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels :
and the Lord is among them, as in the holy place of Sinai.
Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men :
yea, even for thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
Praised be the Lord daily :
even the God who helpeth us, and poureth his benefits upon us.
He is our God, even the God of whom cometh salvation :
God is the Lord, by whom we escape death.
God shall wound the head of his enemies :
and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his wickedness.
The Lord hath said, I will bring my people again, as I did from Basan :
mine own will I bring again, as I did sometime from the deep of the sea.
That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies :
and that the tongue of thy dogs may be red through the same.
It is well seen O God, how thou goest :
how thou, my God and King, goest in the sanctuary.
The singers go before, the minstrels follow after :
in the midst are the damsels playing with the timbrels.
Give thanks, O Israel, unto God the Lord in the congregations :
from the ground of the heart.
There is little Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah their counsel :
the princes of Zabulon, and the princes of Nephthali.
Thy God hath sent forth strength for thee :
stablish the thing, O God that thou hast wrought in us,
for thy temple's sake at Jerusalem :
so shall kings bring presents unto thee.
When the company of the spear-men, and multitude of the mighty are scattered abroad among the beasts of the people, so that they humbly bring pieces of silver :
and when he hath scattered the people that delight in war;
then shall the princes come out of Egypt :
the Morians' land shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
Sing unto God, O ye kingdoms of the earth :
O sing praises unto the Lord;
who sitteth in the heavens over all from the beginning :
lo, he doth send out his voice, yea, and that a mighty voice.
Ascribe ye the power to God over Israel :
his worship and strength is in the clouds.
O God, wonderful art thou in thy holy places :
even the God of Israel; he will give strength and power unto his people; blessed be God.

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, 1 Maccabees 2: 1–22

Mattathias son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein. He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thassi, Judas called Maccabeus, Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus. He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, and said,
'Alas! Why was I born to see this,
   the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city,
and to live there when it was given over to the enemy,
   the sanctuary given over to aliens?
Her temple has become like a person without honour;
   her glorious vessels have been carried into exile.
Her infants have been killed in her streets,
   her youths by the sword of the foe.
What nation has not inherited her palaces
   and has not seized her spoils?
All her adornment has been taken away;
   no longer free, she has become a slave.
And see, our holy place, our beauty,
   and our glory have been laid waste;
the Gentiles have profaned them.
   Why should we live any longer?'

Then Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.

The king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them offer sacrifice. Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: 'You are a leader, honoured and great in this town, and supported by sons and brothers. Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honoured with silver and gold and many gifts.'

But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: 'Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, every one of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.'

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand to say Te Deum laudamus

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein.
To thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty;
thine honourable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter.

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ;
thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints, in glory everlasting.

O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up for ever.
Day by day we magnify thee,
and we worship thy name ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in thee.
O Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded.

All sit for the second Lesson, 1 Peter 4: 7–14

The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand to say Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hands of all that hate us;
to perform the mercy promised to our forefathers,
and to remember his holy covenant,
to perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham,
that he would give us,
that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him
all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest;
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation unto his people
for the remission of their sins.
Through the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us,
to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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

The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

All kneel or sit to say 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 Grace

O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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

All stand to sing the Hymn

Love of the Father, love of God the Son,
from whom all came, in whom was all begun;
who formest heavenly beauty out of strife,
creation's whole desire and breath of life.

Spirit all-holy, thou supreme in might,
thou dost give peace, thy presence maketh right;
thou with thy favour all things dost enfold,
with thine all-kindness free from harm wilt hold.

Hope of all comfort, splendour of all aid,
that dost not fail nor leave the heart afraid:
to all that cry thou dost all help accord,
the angel's armour, and the saint's reward.

Purest and highest, wisest and most just,
there is no truth save only in thy trust;
thou dost the mind from earthly dreams recall,
and bring through Christ to him for whom are all.

Eternal glory, all men thee adore,
who art and shalt be worshipped evermore:
us whom thou madest, comfort with thy might,
and lead us to enjoy thy heavenly light.

Words: 'Amor Patris et Filii' c 12th century, translated by Robert Bridges (1844–1930)
Tune: Song 22 409 NEH, Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625) Organist of Westminster Abbey 1623–25

All remain standing for the Blessing, to which all respond Amen.

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

Sunday Lunch

Come and join us for Sunday lunch at the Cellarium

Enjoy a traditional lunch with a selection of starters and desserts. Open from noon. From £20.00 per person.

If you attend worship at the Abbey regularly, you may like to add this page to your home screen for easy access to our orders of service.

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.