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.

Setting: Missa Euge bone, Christopher Tye (c 1505–c 72)

During the offertory hymn, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between Unseen and the work of the Abbey. Unseen works towards a world without slavery.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter, and to sing the Hymn

Thou whose almighty word
chaos and darkness heard,
   and took their flight;
hear us, we humbly pray,
and where the gospel-day
sheds not its glorious ray
   let there be light.

Thou who didst come to bring
on thy redeeming wing
   healing and sight,
health to the sick in mind,
sight to the inly blind,
O now to all mankind
  let there be light.

Spirit of truth and love,
life-giving, holy Dove,
   speed forth thy flight;
move o'er the waters' face,
bearing the lamp of grace,
and in earth's darkest place
  let there be light.

Blessèd and holy Three
glorious Trinity,
   Wisdom, Love, Might,
boundless as ocean's tide
rolling in fullest pride,
through the world far and wide
   let there be light.

Words: John Marriott (1780–1825)
Tune: 'Moscow' 466 NEH, after Felice Giardini (1716–96) in Martin Madan's 'Collection of Psalm Tunes' 1769

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.

The choir sings Gloria in excelsis Deo

Gloria in excelsis Deo,

All sit

et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe; Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram; qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

All stand for the Collect

Let us pray.

All sit for the Reading from the Old Testament, Malachi 4: 1–2a

See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

The choir sings Psalm 98

Antiphon Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things.

His own right hand and his holy arm
   have won for him the victory.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
   his deliverance has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
   towards the house of Israel,
and all the ends of the earth have seen
   the salvation of our God.

Sound praises to the Lord, all the earth;
   break into singing and make music.
Make music to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the voice of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
   sound praises before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea thunder and all that fills it;
   the world and all that dwell upon it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
   and let the hills ring out together
before the Lord, for he comes
   to judge the earth.
In righteousness shall he judge the world,
   and the peoples with equity.

The Epistle, 2 Thessalonians 3: 6–13

We command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labour we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

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

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

and all repeat

Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead; to him be glory and power for ever and ever.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The reader announces the Gospel, Luke 21: 5–19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, 'As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.'

They asked him, 'Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?' And he said, 'Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, "I am he!" and, "The time is near!" Do not go after them.

'When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.' Then he said to them, 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

'But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.'

The Sermon by The Reverend Katherine Sonderegger, William Meade Chair in Systematic Theology, Virginia Theological Seminary, USA

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

To crown all things there must be love, to bind all together and complete the whole. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

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

Lord of our life, and God of our salvation,
star of our night, and hope of every nation,
hear and receive thy Church's supplication,
   Lord God almighty.

See round thine ark the hungry billows curling;
see how thy foes their banners are unfurling;
Lord, while their darts envenomed they are hurling,
   thou canst preserve us.

Lord, thou canst help when earthly armour faileth,
Lord, thou canst save when deadly sin assaileth;
Christ, o'er thy rock nor death nor hell prevaileth;
   grant us thy peace, Lord.

Peace in our hearts, our evil thoughts assuaging;
peace in thy Church, where brothers are engaging;
peace, when the world its busy war is waging:
   calm thy foes' raging.

Grant us thy help till backward they are driven,
grant them thy truth, that they may be forgiven;
grant peace on earth, and, after we have striven,
   peace in thy heaven.

Words: Philip Pusey (1799–1855) after Christe, du beistand, Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern (1594–1648)
Tune: Iste Confessor (2) NEH 404, Poitiers Antiphoner, 1746

All remain standing for the Eucharistic Prayer. The president says

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should always sing of your glory, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. For you are the hope of the nations, the builder of the city that is to come. Your love made visible in Jesus Christ brings home the lost, restores the sinner, and gives dignity to the despised. In his face your light shines out, flooding lives with goodness and truth, gathering into one in your kingdom a divided and broken humanity. Therefore with all who can give voice in your creation we glorify your name, 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.

Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.

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

Looking for the coming of his kingdom, 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.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may bide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth.

Words: John 14: 15–17a
Music: Thomas Tallis (c 1505–85)

All stand to sing the Hymn

Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands
   that holy things have taken;
let ears that now have heard thy songs
   to clamour never waken.

Lord, may the tongues which 'Holy' sang
   keep free from all deceiving;
the eyes which saw thy love be bright,
   thy blessèd hope perceiving.

The feet that tread thy holy courts
   from light do thou not banish;
the bodies by thy Body fed
   with thy new life replenish.

Words: ascribed to Ephrem the Syrian (c 306–73), translated by Charles Humphreys (1840–1921) and Percy Dearmer (1867–1936) Canon of Westminster 1931–36
Tune: 'Ach Gott und Herr' 306 NEH in the 'Neu-Leipziger Gesangbuch' 1682

Let us pray.

All remain standing. The president says the Prayer after Communion

The president pronounces the Blessing

Music after the service

Allegro vivace e maestoso (Sonata in B flat Op 65 no 4), Felix Mendelssohn (1809–47)

Choristerships at Westminster Abbey

The Choir of Westminster Abbey

If you have a son who enjoys singing, you can find out more information about our world-renowned Abbey Choir and its unique Choir School. Alternatively, please contact Dr Emma Margrett, Headteacher, Westminster Abbey Choir School, and Mr Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, by emailing [email protected].

St Margaret's Choristers

If you have a daughter aged 10 or 11 who would like to sing with the St Margaret's Choristers, please contact Mr Greg Morris, Director of Music, St Margaret's Church, [email protected]. Find out more about Music at St Margaret's Church.

Sunday Lunch

Come and enjoy Sunday lunch at the Cellarium

The Cellarium Café and Terrace serves a traditional roast lunch, with a selection of starters and desserts. From £20.00 per person. Open from noon.

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.