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 St Margaret's Church during services. Please ensure that mobile telephones and other electronic devices are silent.

The service is sung by the St Margaret's Choristers.

Setting: Missa in simplicitate, Jean Langlais (1907–91)

During the offertory hymn, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between The Anglican Centre in Rome and the work of the Abbey. The Anglican Centre in Rome promotes Christian unity and encounter between Anglicans and Roman Catholics through their presence in Rome. This year is the Centre's sixtieth anniversary.

Order of Service

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

Thy hand, O God, has guided
   thy flock, from age to age;
the wondrous tale is written,
   full clear, on every page;
our fathers owned thy goodness,
   and we their deeds record;
and both of this bear witness:
   one Church, one Faith, one Lord.

Thy heralds brought glad tidings
   to greatest, as to least;
they bade men rise, and hasten
   to share the great King's feast;
and this was all their teaching,
   in every deed and word,
to all alike proclaiming
   one Church, one Faith, one Lord.

Through many a day of darkness,
   through many a scene of strife,
the faithful few fought bravely
   to guard the nation's life.
Their gospel of redemption,
   sin pardoned, man restored,
was all in this enfolded,
   one Church, one Faith, one Lord.

Thy mercy will not fail us,
   nor leave thy work undone;
with thy right hand to help us,
   the victory shall be won;
and then, by men and angels,
   thy name shall be adored,
and this shall be their anthem,
   one Church, one Faith, one Lord.

Words: Edward Plumptre (1821–91)
Tune: Thornbury 485 NEH, Basil Harwood (1859–1949)

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, Isaiah 25: 1–9

O Lord, you are my God;
   I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
   plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city a heap,
   the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
   it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
   cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
   a refuge to the needy in their distress,
   a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
   the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
   the song of the ruthless was stilled.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
   a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
   of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
   the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
   the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
   and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
   for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
   Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
   This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
   let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

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

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

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

and all repeat

The word of the Lord endures for ever. The word of the Lord is the good news announced to you.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The reader announces the Gospel, Matthew 22: 1–14

Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees in parables, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet." But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet." Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

'But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?" And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." For many are called, but few are chosen.'

The Sermon by The Venerable Jennifer Adams-Massmann, Canon Steward and Archdeacon of Westminster

The congregation remains seated. The chorister stands before the Canon. The Director of Music says

Canon Adams-Massmann, I present to you N to be admitted as a Chorister of this Church.

The Canon says

The Choristers comprise the senior girls in the Choir, whose experience and leadership provide an example to the other girls. With this in mind and so far as in you lies, do you promise to remain a faithful member of this Choir?

I do.

Will you continue to give of your best in all that you do within this Abbey?

I will, with the help of God.

Will you strive to set an example to your colleagues through your singing and your behaviour?

I will, with the help of God.

May almighty God accept the offering of your worship, and lead you in the light and obedience of Christ. Amen.

The Canon admits the Chorister, taking her by the hand and saying

N, you have promised to serve God in this Choir and to lead his people in worship and praise. I therefore admit you to Choir, and we welcome you into our fellowship with a glad heart; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Canon addresses the Chorister

Take heed that what you sing with your lips you may believe in your heart, and that what you believe in your heart you may show forth in your daily life.

The Canon leads the Chorister to the stalls, then says

Let us pray.

All stand

O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: be ever present with thy servants who seek in this place through art and music to perfect the praises of thy people; and grant to them even now such glimpses of thy beauty, that they may at length be found worthy to behold it unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The president introduces the Peace

We are all one in Christ Jesus. We belong to him through faith, heirs of the promise of the Spirit of peace.

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

Thy kingdom come! on bended knee
   the passing ages pray;
and faithful souls have yearned to see
   on earth that kingdom's day.

But the slow watches of the night
   not less to God belong;
and for the everlasting right
   the silent stars are strong.

And lo, already on the hills
   the flags of dawn appear;
gird up your loins, ye prophet souls,
   proclaim the day is near:

the day in whose clear-shining light
   all wrong shall stand revealed,
when justice shall be throned in might,
   and every hurt be healed;

when knowledge, hand in hand with peace,
   shall walk the earth abroad:
the day of perfect righteousness,
   the promised day of God.

Words: Frederick Hosmer (1840–1929)
Tune: Irish 500 NEH, from Samuel Powell's A Collection of Hymns and sacred Poems, Dublin, 1749

All remain standing for the Eucharistic Prayer. The president says

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour. By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people. Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious 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

As we join our prayers with those of the Church Universal, 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.

Veni lumen cordium. Come, light of our hearts.

Light of our hearts, Ah! O come.

Veni Spiritus. Come, Spirit.

We bow before you, mystery.

Veni Sancte Spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit.

Spirit of God, holy breath, sea of love, fount of joy.

Veni mysterium. Come, mystery.

Music: Kathy Wonson Eddy (b 1951)

All stand to sing the Hymn

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!
The heavens are not too high,
his praise may thither fly;
the earth is not too low,
his praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!
The Church with psalms must shout,
no door can keep them out;
but above all, the heart
must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
My God and King!

Words: Antiphon (i) in The Temple, George Herbert (1593–1633)
Tune: Luckington 394 NEH, Basil Harwood (1859–1949)

Let us pray.

All remain standing. The president says the Prayer after Communion

Holy and blessed God, you have fed us with the body and blood of your Son and filled us with your Holy Spirit: may we honour you, not only with our lips but in lives dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The president pronounces the Blessing

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Music after the service

Chant héroïque (from Neuf pièces Op 4), Jean Langlais

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

Choristerships at Westminster Abbey

St Margaret's Choristers

St Margaret's Church has a rich tradition of liturgical music, dating back to the present building's consecration in 1523. The St Margaret's Choristers were established in 2023, to sing at regular services in St Margaret's and play an important role in the wider musical life of the Abbey; 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].

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].

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.