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 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 London Wildlife Trust and the work of the Abbey. The London Wildlife Trust exists to preserve London's wildlife. The Trust engages, inspires, and enables people to connect with nature and is resolute in its ambition to reverse declines in nature.

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: plainsong

All sit. The choir sings Venite exultemus Domino

All remain seated. The choir sings Psalm 18

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my stony rock, and my defence : my Saviour, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust, my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.
I will call upon the Lord, which is worthy to be praised : so shall I be safe from mine enemies.
The sorrows of death compassed me : and the overflowings of ungodliness made me afraid.
The pains of hell came about me : the snares of death overtook me.
In my trouble I will call upon the Lord : and complain unto my God.
So shall he hear my voice out of his holy temple : and my complaint shall come before him, it shall enter even into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked : the very foundations also of the hills shook, and were removed, because he was wroth.
There went a smoke out in his presence : and a consuming fire out of his mouth, so that coals were kindled at it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down : and it was dark under his feet.
He rode upon the cherubims, and did fly : he came flying upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place : his pavilion round about him with dark water, and thick clouds to cover him.
At the brightness of his presence his clouds removed : hail-stones, and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered out of heaven, and the Highest gave his thunder : hail-stones, and coals of fire.
He sent out his arrows, and scattered them : he cast forth lightnings, and destroyed them.
The springs of waters were seen, and the foundations of the round world were discovered, at thy chiding, O Lord : at the blasting of the breath of thy displeasure.
He shall send down from on high to fetch me: and shall take me out of many waters.
He shall deliver me from my strongest enemy, and from them which hate me: for they are too mighty for me.
They prevented me in the day of my trouble: but the Lord was my upholder.
He brought me forth also into a place of liberty: he brought me forth, even because he had a favour unto me.
The Lord shall reward me after my righteous dealing: according to the cleanness of my hands shall he recompense me.
Because I have kept the ways of the Lord: and have not forsaken my God, as the wicked doth.
For I have an eye unto all his laws: and will not cast out his commandments from me.
I was also uncorrupt before him: and eschewed mine own wickedness.
Therefore shall the Lord reward me after my righteous dealing: and according unto the cleanness of my hands in his eye-sight.
With the holy thou shalt be holy: and with a perfect man thou shalt be perfect.
With the clean thou shalt be clean: and with the froward thou shalt learn frowardness.
For thou shalt save the people that are in adversity: and shalt bring down the high looks of the proud.
Thou also shalt light my candle: the Lord my God shall make my darkness to be light.
For in thee I shall discomfit an host of men: and with the help of my God I shall leap over the wall.
The way of God is an undefiled way: the word of the Lord also is tried in the fire; he is the defender of all them that put their trust in him.
For who is God, but the Lord: or who hath any strength, except our God?
It is God, that girdeth me with strength of war: and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hart's feet: and setteth me up on high.
He teacheth mine hands to fight: and mine arms shall break even a bow of steel.
Thou hast given me the defence of thy salvation: thy right hand also shall hold me up, and thy loving correction shall make me great.
Thou shalt make room enough under me for to go: that my footsteps shall not slide.
I will follow upon mine enemies, and overtake them: neither will I turn again till I have destroyed them.
I will smite them, that they shall not be able to stand: but fall under my feet.
Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou shalt throw down mine enemies under me.
Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn their backs upon me: and I shall destroy them that hate me.
They shall cry, but there shall be none to help them: yea, even unto the Lord shall they cry, but he shall not hear them.
I will beat them as small as the dust before the wind: I will cast them out as the clay in the streets.
Thou shalt deliver me from the strivings of the people: and thou shalt make me the head of the heathen.
A people whom I have not known: shall serve me.
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: but the strange children shall dissemble with me.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my strong helper: and praised be the God of my salvation;
even the God that seeth that I be avenged: and subdueth the people unto me.
It is he that delivereth me from my cruel enemies, and setteth me up above mine adversaries: thou shalt rid me from the wicked man.
For this cause will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles: and sing praises unto thy Name.
Great prosperity giveth he unto his King: and sheweth loving-kindness unto David his Anointed, and unto his seed for evermore.

All stand

Chant: plainsong

All sit for the first Lesson, Jonah 3: 10—4: 11

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon the people of Nineveh; and he did not do it.

But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.' And the Lord said, 'Is it right for you to be angry?' Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.'

But God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?' And he said, 'Yes, angry enough to die.' Then the Lord said, 'You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?'

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Te Deum laudamus

Te Deum in A flat, William Harris (1883–1973)

All sit for the second Lesson, Revelation 8: 1–5

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Jubilate Deo

O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands.
   Serve the Lord with gladness;
   and come before his presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the Lord he is God.
   It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,
   and into his courts with praise.
   Be thankful unto him, and speak good of his name.

For the Lord is gracious;
   his mercy is everlasting,
   and his truth endureth from generation to generation.

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 E flat, Herbert Howells (1892–1983)

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, for Grace

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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: plainsong

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

Allegro impetuoso (from Six Short Pieces for organ), Herbert Howells

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