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 Choir of Westminster Abbey.

Following the service, a collection will be taken; the money from today's services will be divided equally between Trussell and the work of the Abbey. Trussell works together to ensure no one in the UK needs a food bank to survive, while providing emergency support for people left without enough money to live on.

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: Richard Ayleward (1626–69)

All sit. The choir sings Venite exultemus Domino

All remain seated. The choir sings Psalm 124

If the Lord himself had not been on our side, now may Israel say : if the Lord himself had not been on our side, when men rose up against us;
they had swallowed us up quick : when they were so wrathfully displeased at us.
Yea, the waters had drowned us : and the stream had gone over our soul.
The deep waters of the proud : had gone even over our soul.
But praised be the Lord : who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth.
Our soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the fowler : the snare is broken, and we are delivered.
Our help standeth in the name of the Lord : who hath made heaven and earth.

All stand

Chant: William Crotch (1775–1847)

All sit for the first Lesson, Isaiah 32: 1–8

See, a king will reign in righteousness,
   and princes will rule with justice.
Each will be like a hiding-place from the wind,
   a covert from the tempest,
like streams of water in a dry place,
   like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
Then the eyes of those who have sight will not be closed,
   and the ears of those who have hearing will listen.
The minds of the rash will have good judgement,
   and the tongues of stammerers will speak readily and distinctly.
A fool will no longer be called noble,
   nor a villain be said to be honourable.
For fools speak folly,
   and their minds plot iniquity:
to practise ungodliness,
   to utter error concerning the Lord,
to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied,
   and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
The villainies of villains are evil;
   they devise wicked devices
to ruin the poor with lying words,
   even when the plea of the needy is right.
But those who are noble plan noble things,
   and by noble things they stand.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Benedicite omnia opera

O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye angels of the Lord,
O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye waters that be above the firmament,
O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye sun and moon,
O ye stars of heaven,
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye showers and dew,
O ye winds of God,
O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye winter and summer,
O ye dews and frosts,
O ye frost and cold,
O ye ice and snow, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye nights and days, praise him;
O ye light and darkness,
O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O let the earth bless the Lord :
   yea, let it praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye mountains and hills,
O all ye green things upon the earth,
O ye wells,
O ye seas and floods, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye whales and all that move in the waters,
O all ye fowls of the air,
O all ye beasts and cattle,
O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O let Israel bless the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye priests of the Lord,
O ye servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O ye spirits and souls of the righteous,
O ye holy and humble men of heart, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him for ever.
O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord :
   praise him and magnify him 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.

Morning Service in G, Francis Jackson (1917–2022)

All sit for the second Lesson, Revelation 22: 6–end

The angel said to me, 'These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.'

'See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.'

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; but he said to me, 'You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!'

And he said to me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.'

'See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.'

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.

'It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.'
The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.'
And let everyone who hears say, 'Come.'
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

The one who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.'

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
   for he hath visited, and redeemed his people;
and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us
   in the house of his servant David;
as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began;
   that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hands of all that hate us;
to perform the mercy promised to our forefathers,
   and to remember his holy covenant;
to perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham,
   that he would give us; that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear; in holiness and righteousness
   before him all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the highest;
   for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
to give knowledge of salvation unto his people
   for the remission of their sins,
through the tender mercy of our God,
   whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
   and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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.

Chant: James Turle (1802–82) Organist of Westminster Abbey 1832–82

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, of Advent, for Peace, for Grace:

O Lord, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. 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: Richard Ayleward

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

Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her Op 65 no 10, Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877–1933)

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