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 Matins 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.

Please join in saying the words 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 Embrace the Middle East and the work of the Abbey. Embrace is the Christian development charity tackling poverty and injustice in the Middle East, inspired by Christ's invitation to care for those most in need.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

The officiant says a Sentence of Scripture

The officiant and choir sing the Responses

Music: William Byrd (c 1540–1623)

All sit. The choir sings Venite exultemus Domino

All remain seated. The choir sings Psalm 36

My heart sheweth me the wickedness of the ungodly : that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
For he flattereth himself in his own sight : until his abominable sin be found out.
The words of his mouth are unrighteous, and full of deceit : he hath left off to behave himself wisely, and to do good.
He imagineth mischief upon his bed, and hath set himself in no good way : neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil.
Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens : and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.
Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains : thy judgements are like the great deep.
Thou, Lord, shalt save both man and beast; How excellent is thy mercy, O God : and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house : and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river.
For with thee is the well of life : and in thy light shall we see light.
O continue forth thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee : and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart.
O let not the foot of pride come against me : and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down.
There are they fallen, all that work wickedness : they are cast down, and shall not be able to stand.

All stand

Chant: James Turle (1802–82) Organist and Master of the Choristers 1831–82

All sit for the first Lesson, Amos 7

This is what the Lord God showed me: he was forming locusts at the time the latter growth began to sprout (it was the latter growth after the king's mowings). When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,
'O Lord God, forgive, I beg you!
   How can Jacob stand?
   He is so small!'
The Lord relented concerning this;
   'It shall not be,' said the Lord.

This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord God was calling for a shower of fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said,
'O Lord God, cease, I beg you!
   How can Jacob stand?
   He is so small!'
The Lord relented concerning this;
   'This also shall not be,' said the Lord God.

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' And I said, 'A plumb-line.' Then the Lord said,
'See, I am setting a plumb-line
   in the midst of my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by;
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
   and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
   and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.'

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, 'Amos has conspired against you in the very centre of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,
"Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
   and Israel must go into exile
   away from his land."'

And Amaziah said to Amos, 'O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.'

Then Amos answered Amaziah, 'I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel."
'Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
You say, "Do not prophesy against Israel,
   and do not preach against the house of Isaac."
Therefore, thus says the Lord:
"Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city,
   and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
   and your land shall be parcelled out by line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
   and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land."'

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Benedicite omnia opera

O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye angels of the Lord,
O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye waters that be above the firmament,
O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye sun and moon,
O ye stars of heaven,
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye showers and dew,
O ye winds of God,
O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye winter and summer,
O ye dews and frosts,
O ye frost and cold,
O ye ice and snow, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye nights and days, praise him;
O ye light and darkness,
O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O let the earth bless the Lord :
   yea, let it praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye mountains and hills,
O all ye green things upon the earth,
O ye wells,
O ye seas and floods, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye whales and all that move in the waters,
O all ye fowls of the air,
O all ye beasts and cattle,
O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O let Israel bless the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye priests of the Lord,
O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye spirits and souls of the righteous,
O ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.

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.

Morning Service in G, Francis Jackson (1917–2022)

All sit for the second Lesson, Luke 1: 5–20

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.' Zechariah said to the angel, 'How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.' The angel replied, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.'

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings 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.

Morning Service in C, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)

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.

The officiant and choir sing the Lesser Litany; the Lord's Prayer and the Responses

Let us pray.

All kneel or sit

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, of Advent, for Peace, for Grace

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

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.

Music: William Byrd

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 as the choir and clergy depart

Music after the service

Toccata Op 16i, Francis Jackson

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

A Service to celebrate Christian Witness in Advent

11.15 am on Wednesday 10th December 2025.

This service will be attended by Church leaders and their communities in the United Kingdom. Doors open at 9.30 am and the Service will last for forty-five minutes.

To apply for tickets please click on the link: https://ChristianWitnessService.eventbrite.co.uk

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.