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 and the St Margaret's Choristers and Consort.

Following the service, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between Open Doors and the work of the Abbey. Open Doors helps persecuted Christians around the world continue to follow Jesus courageously.

This service will be live-streamed.

Order of Service

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

The choirs sing the Introit

Locus iste a Deo factus est, inaestimabile sacramentum: irreprehensibilis est.

This place was made by God: a priceless and unblemished sign of his presence.

Words: Gradual, Mass for the dedication of a church
Music: Anton Bruckner (1824–96)

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 choirs sing the Responses

Music: William Smith (1603–45)

All sit. The choirs sing Psalm 122

I was glad when they said unto me : We will go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet shall stand in thy gates : O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built as a city : that is at unity in itself.
For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord : to testify unto Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
For there is the seat of judgement : even the seat of the house of David.
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls : and plenteousness within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions' sakes : I will wish thee prosperity.
Yea, because of the house of the Lord our God : I will seek to do thee good.

All stand

Chant: Walter Parratt (1841–1924)

All sit for the first Lesson, 2 Chronicles 7: 11–16

Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house; all that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished.

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: 'I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house so that my name may be there for ever; my eyes and my heart will be there for all time.'

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choirs sing Magnificat

Evening Service in C, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)

All sit for the second Lesson, John 4: 19–29

The woman said to Jesus, 'Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.' Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.' The woman said to him, 'I know that Messiah is coming' (who is called Christ). 'When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.' Jesus said to her, 'I am he, the one who is speaking to you.'

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, 'What do you want?' or, 'Why are you speaking with her?' Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 'Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?'

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choirs sing Nunc dimittis

Evening Service in C, Charles Villiers Stanford

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 choirs 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 God, to whose glory we celebrate the dedication of this house of prayer; we praise thee for the many blessings thou hast given to those who worship thee here: and we pray that all who seek thee in this place may find thee, and, being filled with the Holy Spirit, may become a living temple acceptable unto thee; through Jesus Christ thy Son 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: William Smith

All sit. The choirs sing the Anthem

Hear my words, ye people;
   give ear unto me, all ye that have knowledge.
Let us choose to us judgment:
   let us know among ourselves what is good.

Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any:
   he is mighty in strength and in wisdom.

Behold, he is great, and we know him not:
   neither can the number of his years be searched out.

The Lord's seat is in heaven.

Clouds and darkness are round about him;
   righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his seat.

   He decketh himself with light as it were with a garment,
and spreadeth out the heavens like a curtain.
   He layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters,
and maketh the clouds his chariots,
   and walketh upon the wings of the wind.

He bowed the heavens and came down;

He rode on the cherubims, and did fly;
   and came flying upon the wings of the wind.

The Lord's seat is in heaven,
   his kingdom ruleth over all.

Behold the eye of the Lord is on them that fear him,
   and upon them that put their trust in his mercy;
to deliver their soul from death,
   and to feed them in the time of dearth.

Our soul hath patiently tarried for the Lord;
   for he is our help, and our shield.

He delivereth the poor in his affliction,
   the fatherless and him that hath none to help him.

   He shall bind up the broken-hearted,
and proclaim liberty to the captives,
   and comfort to those that mourn.
   He shall give them beauty for ashes:
   the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,
   and as the garden causeth things that are sown to spring forth;
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and peace
   to spring forth before all nations.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
   nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
For look how high the heaven is in comparison of the earth,
   so great is his mercy also toward them that fear him.
Look how wide also the east is from the west,
   so far hath he set our sins from us.

O praise ye the Lord!
Praise him in the height;
Rejoice in his word,
Ye angels of light;
Ye heavens adore him
By whom ye were made,
And worship before him,
In brightness arrayed.

O praise ye the Lord!
Praise him upon earth,
In tuneful accord,
Ye sons of new birth;
Praise him who hath brought you
His grace from above,
Praise him who hath taught you
To sing of his love.

O praise ye the Lord!
Thanksgiving and song
To him be outpoured
All ages along;
For love in creation,
For heaven restored,
For grace of salvation,
O praise ye the Lord!
   Amen.

Words: Job 34: 2, 4; 36: 5, 26; Psalms 103: 19; 97: 2; 104: 2–3; 18: 9–10; 33: 18–20; Job 29: 12; Isaiah 61: 1b, 2b, 3b, 11; Psalm 103: 8a, 10–12; and Henry Williams Baker (1821–77)
Music: Hubert Parry (1848–1918)

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

Jerusalem the golden,
   with milk and honey blest,
beneath thy contemplation
   sink heart and voice opprest.
I know not, O I know not,
   what social joys are there,
what radiancy of glory,
   what light beyond compare.

They stand, those halls of Sion,
   conjubilant with song,
and bright with many an angel,
   and all the martyr throng;
the Prince is ever in them,
   the daylight is serene,
the pastures of the blessèd
   are decked in glorious sheen.

There is the throne of David,
   and there, from care released,
the song of them that triumph,
   the shout of them that feast;
and they who, with their Leader,
   have conquered in the fight,
for ever and for ever
   are clad in robes of white.

O sweet and blessèd country,
   shall I e'er see thy face?
O sweet and blessèd country,
   shall I e'er win thy grace?
Exult, O dust and ashes!
   the Lord shall be thy part:
his only, his for ever,
   thou shalt be, and thou art!

Words: 'Urbs Sion aurea in Hora novissima' Bernard of Cluny (fl early 12th century) translated by John Mason Neale (1818–66)
Tune: 'Ewing' 381 NEH, Alexander Ewing (1830–95)

All remain standing as the choirs and clergy depart

Music after the service

Postlude in D, Henry Smart (1813–79)

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

Choristerships at Westminster Abbey

St Margaret's Choristers

If you have a daughter aged 10 or 11 who would like to sing with the St Margaret's Choristers, please contact Greg Morris, Director of Music, St Margaret's Church, [email protected]. Find out more about Music at St Margaret's Church.

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. 

Alternatively, please contact Dr Emma Margrett, Headteacher, Westminster Abbey Choir School, [email protected]. Mr Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, [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.