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 hymn 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 USPG and the work of the Abbey. USPG is the Anglican mission agency that partners with churches and communities worldwide in God's mission to enliven faith, strengthen relationships, unlock potential, and champion justice.

The Commonwealth Nations

On the second Monday in March each year, members of all Commonwealth Nations from around the world come together at the Abbey for the Commonwealth Service, in the presence of the Head of the Commonwealth His Majesty King Charles III, in celebration of both their diversity of culture and common purpose. Throughout the year, and to mark an important national day in the life of each Commonwealth Nation, the Abbey is proud to invite High Commissioners or their representatives and their guests to attend Evensong and to pray for their governments and citizens. Today, the Abbey welcomes the High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Kingdom, Her Excellency Titilupe Tuivakano, on the official birthday of HM King Tupou VI. The High Commissioner will read the second lesson.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

The choir sings the Introit

Qui luce splendes ordinis
apostolorum maxima,
Thoma, benignus accipe
laudes tibi quas pangimus.

Te lucidis in sedibus
amore Christus collocat;
amore promptus expetis
tu pro Magistro commori.

Te torquet et dilectio
narrantibus cum fratribus
vis certus esse, visere,
palpare Iesu vulnera.

Quantoque cordis gaudio
ipsum misertum conspicis,
Deumque dicis credulus,
fervore adorans pectoris!

Nobisque qui non vidimus
per te fides fit acrior,
fit aestus et potentior
quo Christi amorem quaerimus.

Christo sit omnis gloria,
qui te rogante praebeat
nobis fide ambulantibus
ipsum videre perpetim.
   Amen.

Saint Thomas, whom the Saviour chose when here on earth as special friend; accept our joyful hymn of praise, and to our earnest prayer attend.

Your love for Christ made you desire to die with him and share his plight; his love for you gave you a throne of glory in his realm of light.

Your tortured love could not believe the ten had seen him, as they said; but you must touch his hands and feet to prove him risen from the dead.

And later when you saw him too with joy, his mercy you adored, acclaiming him as truly God, and worshiping your risen Lord.

As you once grew to know our Lord, give us more faith, both strong and firm, and make our love grow deeper yet for Jesus whom we have not seen.

All glory be to Christ, our Lord, who by your prayer will grant us grace, when we have blindly walked in faith, to see the glory of his face. Amen.

Words: Office hymn at Lauds, Feast of St Thomas the Apostle
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: Matthew Martin (b 1976)

All sit. The choir sings Psalm 139

O Lord, thou hast searched me out, and known me : thou knowest my down-sitting, and mine up-rising; thou understandest my thoughts long before.
Thou art about my path, and about my bed : and spiest out all my ways.
For lo, there is not a word in my tongue : but thou, O Lord, knowest it altogether.
Thou hast fashioned me behind and before : and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me : I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit : or whither shall I go then from thy presence?
If I climb up into heaven, thou art there : if I go down to hell, thou art there also.
If I take the wings of the morning : and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea;
even there also shall thy hand lead me : and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Peradventure the darkness shall cover me : then shall my night be turned to day.
Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as clear as the day : the darkness and light to thee are both alike.
For my reins are thine : thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made : marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.
My bones are not hid from thee : though I be made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect : and in thy book were all my members written;
which day by day were fashioned : when as yet there was none of them.
How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God : O how great is the sum of them!
If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand : when I wake up I am present with thee.
Wilt thou not slay the wicked, O God : depart from me, ye blood-thirsty men.
For they speak unrighteously against thee : and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee : and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
Yea, I hate them right sore : even as though they were mine enemies.
Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart : prove me, and examine my thoughts.
Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me : and lead me in the way everlasting.

All stand

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

All sit for the first Lesson, Job 42: 1–6

Job answered the Lord:
'I know that you can do all things,
   and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
"Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?"
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
   things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
"Hear, and I will speak;
   I will question you, and you declare to me."
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
   but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
   and repent in dust and ashes.'

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Magnificat

The Third Service, William Byrd (c 1540–1623)

All sit for the second Lesson, 1 Peter 1: 3–12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look!

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Nunc dimittis

The Third Service, William Byrd

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

Almighty and everliving God, who for the more confirmation of the faith didst suffer thy holy apostle Saint Thomas to be doubtful in thy Son's resurrection; grant us so perfectly, and without all doubt, to believe in thy Son Jesus Christ, that our faith in thy sight may never be reproved. Hear us, O Lord, through the same Jesus Christ, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for evermore. 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: Matthew Martin

All sit. The choir sings the Anthem

O quam gloriosum est regnum in quo cum Christo gaudent omnes sancti. Amicti stolis albis sequuntur Agnum quocumque ierit.

How glorious is the kingdom where all the saints rejoice with Christ. Clothed in white robes they follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

Words: Magnificat antiphon for All Saints' Day (after Revelation 14: 4)
Music: Tomás Luis de Victoria (c 1548–1611)

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

Blessèd Thomas, doubt no longer,
   see the wounds in hand and side;
now behold the risen Saviour
   who for thee has bled and died,
and from death's dark pit arising,
   lives in body glorified.

Here behold the love victorious,
   over death triumphant now,
see the feet where nails were driven,
   and thy faith in him avow:
for he lives, the world's redeemer,
   unto whom all knees shall bow.

Thomas looked upon the Master:
   was it then indeed the Lord?
Were those wounds no phantom tokens?
   Did the sight with truth accord?
Scarce believing, joy unbounded,
   leapt to greet the Saviour's word.

Prostrate falling, Thomas worshipped:
   'O my Master, Lord, and God',
here in truth was Christ the Saviour
   who the path of suff'ring trod,
and, to ransom souls unnumbered,
   broke in pieces Satan's rod.

Thomas, sight has now convinced thee,
   faith within thy heart has stirred;
blessèd more those faithful servants,
   trusting in the Saviour's word,
who, though vision is denied them,
   still believe, and own him Lord.

Grant, O Father, that among them
   we thy servants may be known,
and the ground be ever fruitful
   where the seed of faith was sown,
till at length in heaven's glory,
   faith and vision are but one.

Words: George Timms (1910–97)
Tune: St Audrey 173 NEH, Basil Harwood (1859–1949)

All remain standing as the choir and clergy depart

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

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 at choirschool.westminster-abbey.org. 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

The St Margaret's Choristers were established in 2023, giving an opportunity for girls aged 11–17 to join the rich tradition of choral music in the Abbey and St Margaret's Church; you can find out more about this exciting new venture at westminster-abbey.org/st-margarets-church/music-at-st-margarets. If you have a daughter aged 10 or 11 who enjoys singing and would like to sing with the St Margaret's Choristers, please contact Greg Morris, Director of Music at St Margaret's Church: [email protected].

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.

Hymn 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.