Order of Service
Today's services
Tuesday, 3rd September 2024
17:00
Evensong
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 St George's College Jerusalem and the work of the Abbey. St George's College Jerusalem is the Anglican centre for pilgrimage, education, hospitality, and reconciliation in the Holy Land.
Order of Service
All stand as the choir and clergy enter
The choir sings the Introit
Lucis Creator optime
Lucem dierum proferens,
Primordiis lucis novae,
Mundi parans originem:
Qui mane iunctum vesperi
Diem vocari praecipis:
Tetrum chaos illabitur,
Audi preces cum fletibus.
Ne mens gravata crimine,
Vitae sit exsul munere,
Dum nil perenne cogitat,
Seseque culpis illigat.
Praesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne saeculum.
Amen.
Blest Creator of light, bringing forth the light of the days, the beginning of the new light, preparing the origin of the world.
You command the morning joined to the evening to be called day: the gloomy chaos will creep in; hear our prayers with tears.
Lest the mind be burdened with guilt, let it be an exile of life, while it thinks of nothing forever, and binds itself with guilt.
Most pious Father, Godhead coequal in Unity, reigning with the Spirit Paraclete through all the ages. Amen.
Words: office hymn at vespers on Sundays in Ordinary Time
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: plainsong
All sit. The choir sings Psalm 119: 1–16
Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way : and walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies : and seek him with their whole heart.
For they who do no wickedness : walk in his ways.
Thou hast charged : that we shall diligently keep thy commandments.
O that my ways were made so direct : that I might keep thy statutes!
So shall I not be confounded : while I have respect unto all thy commandments.
I will thank thee with an unfeigned heart : when I shall have learned the judgements of thy righteousness.
I will keep thy ceremonies : O forsake me not utterly.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way : even by ruling himself after thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee : O let me not go wrong out of thy commandments.
Thy words have I hid within my heart : that I should not sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O Lord : O teach me thy statutes.
With my lips have I been telling : of all the judgements of thy mouth.
I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies : as in all manner of riches.
I will talk of thy commandments : and have respect unto thy ways.
My delight shall be in thy statutes : and I will not forget thy word.
All stand
Chants: plainsong
All sit for the first Lesson, Proverbs 21: 1–18
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
All deeds are right in the sight of the doer,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the lamp of the wicked—are sin.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapour and a snare of death.
The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is right.
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a contentious wife.
The souls of the wicked desire evil;
their neighbours find no mercy in their eyes.
When a scoffer is punished, the simple become wiser;
when the wise are instructed, they increase in knowledge.
The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he casts the wicked down to ruin.
If you close your ear to the cry of the poor,
you will cry out and not be heard.
A gift in secret averts anger;
and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath.
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous,
but dismay to evildoers.
Whoever wanders from the way of understanding
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want;
whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.
The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the faithless for the upright.
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 tertii toni, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c 1525–94)
All sit for the second Lesson, Mark 6: 30–44
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.' But he answered them, 'You give them something to eat.' They said to him, 'Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?' And he said to them, 'How many loaves have you? Go and see.' When they had found out, they said, 'Five, and two fish.' Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
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 tertii toni, Robert Quinney (b 1976)
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.
Let us pray.
All kneel or sit. The officiant and choir sing the Lesser Litany; the Lord's Prayer and the Responses
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 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, 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: plainsong
All sit. The choir sings the Anthem
Ecce sacerdos magnus qui in diebus suis placuit Deo et inventus justus.
Behold a great priest who in his time pleased God, and has been found to be just.
Words: Antiphon, Common of Confessor Bishops, Roman Rite
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 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.
The Abbey is grateful for your support. Cash and contactless donations may be given as you leave via the Great West Door and will be divided equally between the work of the Abbey and the charities it supports.
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Today's Services
Sunday, 1st September 2024 | ||
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Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity | ||
8.00am | Holy Communion | Nave |
The Book of Common Prayer; said | ||
10.00am | Matins | Quire |
sung by the Lay Vicars | Byrd and Quinney Responses |
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View Order of Service | ||
11.15am | Sung Eucharist | Quire |
sung by the Lay Vicars | Guerrero Missa Inter vestibulum Preacher: The Reverend Mark Birch MVO Precentor |
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View Order of Service | ||
3.00pm | Evensong | Quire |
sung by the Lay Vicars | Tallis Hear the voice and prayer of thy servants Preacher: The Reverend Dr James Hawkey Canon in Residence |
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View Order of Service | ||
5.00pm | Organ Recital | Nave |
given by Greg Morris, St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey | ||
6.00pm | Holy Communion | St Margaret's Church |
said with hymns | Preacher: The Reverend Justin White Priest Vicar |
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View Order of Service | ||