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 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 Lay Vicars of Westminster Abbey.

Following the service, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between The King's Trust and the work of the Abbey. The King's Trust helps young people from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn, and earn.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

The choir sings the Introit

Aurora lucis rutilat,
Caelum laudibus intonat,
Mundus exultans iubilat,
Gemens infernus ululat,

Cum rex ille fortissimus,
Mortis confractis viribus,
Pede conculcans tartara
Solvit catena miseros!

Ille, qui clausus lapide
Custoditur sub milite,
Triumphans pompa nobile
Victor surgit de funere.

Solutis iam gemitibus
Et inferni doloribus,
Quia surrexit Dominus!
Resplendens clamat angelus.

The dawn glows with red light, the heavens resound with praise, the whole world rejoices with exultation, while hell, in its grief, howls in defeat.

For the mighty King has risen; he has broken the power of death, trampled the realm of darkness under his feet, and set the captives free from their chains.

He who was sealed in the tomb, guarded by soldiers, rises in noble triumph, the victorious one returning from death.

Now the groans are silenced and the torments of the underworld are ended, because the Lord has risen. The shining angel proclaims it.

Words: anonymous c 8th century, translated by John Mason Neale (1818–66)
Music: plainsong

All remain standing as the officiant introduces the Confession

Beloved, we are come together in the presence of Almighty God and of the whole company of heaven to offer unto him through our Lord Jesus Christ our worship and praise and thanksgiving; to make confession of our sins; to pray, as well for others as for ourselves, that we may know more truly the greatness of God's love and show forth in our lives the fruits of his grace; and to ask on behalf of all people such things as their well-being doth require. Wherefore let us sit or kneel and keep silence, and remember God's presence with us now.

All kneel or sit to say together

O God, our Father,
we have sinned against thee
in thought, word, and deed;
we have not loved thee with all our heart;
we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.
Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee;
cleanse us from our sins;
and help us to overcome our faults;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The officiant gives the Absolution

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant unto you pardon and remission of all your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. 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: Thomas Tallis (c 1505–85)

All sit. The choir sings Psalm 17

Hear the right, O Lord, consider my complaint : and hearken unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence : and let thine eyes look upon the thing that is equal.
Thou hast proved and visited mine heart in the night-season; thou hast tried me, and shalt find no wickedness in me : for I am utterly purposed that my mouth shall not offend.
Because of men's works, that are done against the words of thy lips : I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer.
O hold thou up my goings in thy paths : that my footsteps slip not.
I have called upon thee, O God, for thou shalt hear me : incline thine ear to me, and hearken unto my words.
Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness, thou that art the Saviour of them which put their trust in thee : from such as resist thy right hand.
Keep me as the apple of an eye : hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
from the ungodly that trouble me : mine enemies compass me round about to take away my soul.
They are inclosed in their own fat : and their mouth speaketh proud things.
They lie waiting in our way on every side : turning their eyes down to the ground;
like as a lion that is greedy of his prey : and as it were a lion's whelp, lurking in secret places.
Up, Lord, disappoint him, and cast him down : deliver my soul from the ungodly, which is a sword of thine;
from the men of thy hand, O Lord, from the men, I say, and from the evil world : which have their portion in this life, whose bellies thou fillest with thy hid treasure.
They have children at their desire : and leave the rest of their substance for their babes.
But as for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness : and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it.

All stand

Chant: plainsong

All sit for the first Lesson, Deuteronomy 8: 1–10

This entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The clothes on your back did not wear out and your feet did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the Lord your God disciplines you. Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Magnificat

Magnificat anima mea Dominum,
   et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo Salutari meo;
quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae.
   Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes;
quia fecit mihi Magna qui potens est,
   et sanctum nomen eius.
Et misericordia eius, a progenie in progenies
   timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo,
   dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede
   et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis
   et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum,
   recordatus misericordiae suae.
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,
   Abraham et semini eius in saecula.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto;
sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the lowliness of his hand-maiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; for he that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek; he hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, 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.

Magnificat sexi toni, Tomás Luis de Victoria (c 1548–1611)

All sit for the second Lesson, Matthew 6: 19–end

Jesus said, 'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

'The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

'No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

'So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.'

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Nunc dimittis

Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine
   secundum verbum tuum in pace,
quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum
   quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum,
lumen ad revelationem Gentium
   et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto;
sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

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.

Nunc dimittis quarti toni, Ivo de Vento (c 1544–75)

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, for peace, and for aid against all perils

O almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; 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: Thomas Tallis

All sit. The choir sings the Anthem

Sermone blando angelus
praedixit mulieribus
In Galilea Dominus
videndus est a totius.

Illae dum pergunt concite
Apostolis hoc dicere
Videntes eum vivere
Osculantur pedes Domini.

Quo agnito discipuli
In Galileam propere
Pergunt videre faciem
Desideratam Domini.

Claro paschali gaudio
Sol mundo nitet radio
Cum Christum jam apostoli
Visu cernunt corporeo.

Ostensa sibi vulneras:
In Christi carne fulgida
Resurrexisse Dominum
Voce fatetur publica.

Rex Christe clementissime
Tu corda nostra posside
Ut tibi laudes debitas
Reddamus omni tempore.

Quaesumus auctor omnium
In hoc paschali gaudio:
Ab omni mortis impetu
Tuum defende populum.

Gloria tibi Domine,
Qui surrexisti a mortuis
Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu
In sempiterna saecula.
   Amen.

In sweet speech the angel foretold to the women that the Lord would be seen by all in Galilee. And as they hurried to tell this to the apostles, seeing him alive, they kissed the Lord's feet. When they learned this, the disciples hurried to Galilee to see the face of the Lord they so desired. With bright Easter joy the sun beams forth now that the apostles discern Christ with mortal eye. Being shown the wounds shining forth in Christ's flesh, they made known to all people that the Lord had risen. O Christ, most merciful King, possess our hearts so that the praise we owe you we may return for all time. We pray in this Easter joy, O Creator of all, that you defend your people against every power of death.

Glory to you, O Lord, who rose from the dead, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, throughout all ages. Amen.

Words: anonymous
Music: Thomas Tallis, in 'Cantiones sacrae' 1575

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 as the choir and clergy depart

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

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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.