What is Evensong?

Evensong is a combination of two of the seven offices (services) that made up the daily round of monastic prayer. These were the evening offices of Vespers and Compline which consisted of responses, psalms, canticles, readings and prayers. The liturgy of Evensong was first written down in 1549 in Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer. Several revisions to the book were made over subsequent years with the definitive version published in 1662. Widely known for the beauty and richness of its language, including Myles Coverdale’s translation of the psalms, the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer remains the official prayer book of the Church of England.

The service of Evensong is renowned for its choral music. Several sections of the liturgy are sung by the choir though there are various ways in which everyone can participate. For example, it is an ancient custom in the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis as the choir sings the first two lines of the Gloria (‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost’) to make the sign of the cross and to bow one’s head in honour of God the Holy Trinity.

Ever since its foundation this church has been a house of prayer. The first recorded priest of St Mary’s Whitkirk was Paulinus who was the priest here in 1185 AD. The worship we share today gives a powerful sense of connecting the present with the past and of being part of a great, and continuing, tradition. Thank you for being part of this act of worship as we join our prayers and praises with those that have been offered here at St Mary’s for over eight hundred and thirty years.

The Service of Choral Evensong

Our worship begins at the sound of the bell, please stand as the sacred ministers enter, during which the introit hymn is sung.

Hymn

Be thou my guardian and my guide,
and hear me when I call;
let not my slipp’ry footsteps slide,
and hold me lest I fall.

The world, the flesh, and Satan dwell
around the path I tread;
O save me from the snares of hell,
thou quick’ner of the dead.

And if I tempted am to sin,
and outward things are strong,
do thou, O Lord, keep watch within,
and save my soul from wrong.

Still let me ever watch and pray,
and feel that I am frail;
that if the tempter cross my way,
yet he may not prevail.

Words: Isaac Williams (1802-1865)
Music: melody by Isaac Smith (1734-1805)
Hymn Tune: ABRIDGE

Sentences of the Scriptures

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: but, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1.8,9

Please remain standing.

Dearly beloved brethren,
the scripture moveth us in sundry places
to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness;
and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them
before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father;
but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart;
to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same,
by his infinite goodness and mercy.
And although we ought at all times
humbly to acknowledge our sins before God;
yet ought we most chiefly so to do,
when we assemble and meet together
to render thanks for the great benefits
that we have received at his hands,
to set forth his most worthy praise,
to hear his most holy Word,
and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary,
as well for the body as the soul.
Wherefore I pray and beseech you,
as many as are here present,
to accompany me with a pure heart, and humble voice,
unto the throne of the heavenly grace,
saying after me;

Please kneel or sit.

The General Confession

Almighty and most merciful Father;
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices
and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against thy holy laws.
We have left undone those things
which we ought to have done;
and we have done those things
which we ought not to have done;
and there is no health in us.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.
Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults,
restore thou them that are penitent;
according to thy promises declared unto mankind
in Christ Jesu our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake;
that we may hereafter live a godly,
righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of thy holy Name.
Amen.

The Absolution

Almighty God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who desireth not the death of a sinner,
but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live;  
and hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers,
to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent,
the Absolution and Remission of their sins:
He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent,
and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel.
Wherefore let us beseech him
to grant us true repentance, and his holy Spirit,
that those things may please him, which we do at this present;
and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure, and holy;
so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Preces

The Preces (short petitions) are sung alternately by the cantor and the choir.

O Lord, open thou our lips.

And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

O God, make speed to save us.

O Lord, make haste to help us.

Please stand.

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.

Praise ye the Lord.

The Lord’s Name be praised.

The Choir sings the psalm appointed for today.

Please sit.

Psalm 35 verses 1-9

The psalms are sacred poems from the Old Testament dating back over three thousand years. The music for the psalm is known as Anglican chant, a short repeating tune.

Plead thou my cause O Lord
with them that strive with me :
and fight thou against them that fight against me.

Lay hand upon the shield and buckler :
and stand up to help me.

Bring forth the spear
and stop the way against them that persecute me :
say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.

Let them be confounded and put to shame
that seek after my soul :
let them be turned back and brought to confusion
that imagine mischief for me.

Let them be as the dust before the wind :
and the angel of the Lord scattering them.

Let their way be dark and slippery :
and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.
For they have privily laid their net to destroy me
without a cause :
yea even without a cause have they made a pit
for my soul.

Let a sudden destruction come upon him unawares
and his net that he hath laid privily catch himself :
that he may fall into his own mischief.

And my soul be joyful in the Lord :
it shall rejoice in his salvation.

Please stand.

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.   

Music: James Turle (1802-1882)

Old Testament Lesson

Please sit.

The First Lesson is taken from the thirty-fifth chapter of the second book of Chronicles beginning to read at the first verse.

Josiah kept a passover to the Lord in Jerusalem; they slaughtered the passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. He said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, ‘Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel, built; you need no longer carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. Make preparations by your ancestral houses by your divisions, following the written directions of King David of Israel and the written directions of his son Solomon. Take position in the holy place according to the groupings of the ancestral houses of your kindred the people, and let there be Levites for each division of an ancestral house. Slaughter the passover lamb, sanctify yourselves, and on behalf of your kindred make preparations, acting according to the word of the Lord by Moses.’ When the service had been prepared for, the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command. They slaughtered the passover lamb, and the priests dashed the blood that they received from them, while the Levites did the skinning. They set aside the burnt-offerings so that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the ancestral houses of the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. And they did the same with the bulls. They roasted the passover lamb with fire according to the ordinance; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the people. Afterwards they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests the descendants of Aaron were occupied in offering the burnt-offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were in their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and the king’s seer Jeduthun. The gatekeepers were at each gate; they did not need to interrupt their service, for their kindred the Levites made preparations for them. So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep the passover and to offer burnt-offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah.

2 Chronicles 35.1-6, 10-16

At the end the reader says:

Here endeth the First Lesson.

After a short silence, please stand.

Magnificat

The Magnificat is the song of praise Mary sang after learning that she would give birth to Jesus, as recounted in Luke’s gospel.

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 blessèd.
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.

Luke 1.46-55

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.

Music: Giovanni Ilorio (16^th century)
Plainsong with fauxbourdons

Please sit.

New Testament Lesson

The Second Lesson is taken from the twenty-second chapter of Saint Luke’s gospel beginning to read at the first verse.

Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.’ They asked him, ‘Where do you want us to make preparations for it?’ ‘Listen,’ he said to them, ‘when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he entersand say to the owner of the house, “The teacher asks you, ‘Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’’’ He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.’ So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

Luke 22.1-13

At the end the reader says:

Here endeth the Second Lesson.

After a short silence, please stand.

Nunc Dimittis

The Nunc Dimittis is also known as the Song of Simeon. Luke’s gospel tells us that old Simeon, a devout Jew, had been promised that he would not die until he had seen the promised Saviour. When Jesus was presented to him at the temple in Jerusalem, he at once recognised the Messiah and uttered these words of farewell.

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.

Luke 2.29-32

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.

Music: Thomas Morley (1557-1602)
Plainsong with fauxbourdons

Please remain standing.

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 Lesser Litany and the Responses

These prayers bind together themes of praise, mercy and the desire for God’s protection as night draws in. The Lesser Litany, the Lord’s Prayer and the Responses are sung alternately by the cantor and the choir.

The Lord be with you.

And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Please kneel or sit.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father

which art in heav’n,
hallowed be thy name.
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heav’n.
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.

O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us.

And grant us thy salvation.

O Lord, save the King.

And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.

Endue thy Ministers with righteousness.

And make thy chosen people joyful.

O Lord, save thy people.

And bless thine inheritance.

Give peace in our time, O Lord.

Because there is none other that fighteth for us,
but only thou, O God.

O God, make clean our hearts within us.

And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.

The Collect of the Day

We beseech thee, Almighty God,
mercifully to look upon thy people;
that by thy great goodness
they may be governed and preserved evermore,
both in body and soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Collect for Peace

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.

The Collect for Aid against all Perils

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.

Please sit.

Anthem

Sung by the Choir.

‘O holy Jesu’

O bone Jesu miserere nobis,
quia tu creasti nos,
tu redemisti nos
sanguine tuo praetiosissimo.

Words: from a Latin hymn
Music: attributed to Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594)

English translation:

O holy Jesu pardon our offences,
for that thou hast made us thine,
and hast redeemed us
by thy most precious blood.

Translated by Bernarr Rainbow (1914-1998)

Please remain seated.

Sermon

Hymn

Please stand.

An upper room did our Lord prepare
for those he loved until the end:
and his disciples still gather there,
to celebrate their risen friend.

A lasting gift Jesus gave his own:
to share his bread, his loving cup.
whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his cross shall lift us up.

And after supper he washed their feet
for service too, is sacrament.
in him our joy shall be made complete – 
sent out to serve, as he was sent.

No end there is! We depart in peace,
he loves beyond our uttermost:
in ev’ry room in our Father’s house
he will be there, as Lord and host.

Words: Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000)
Music: Somerset folk song
collected by Cecil Sharp (1859-1924)
arranged by Noel Tredinnick (b. 1949)
Hymn Tune: O WALY WALY

Prayer

Please kneel or sit.

Offertory Hymn

Please stand.  During this hymn a collection, our financial offering in support of the work of the church both at St. Mary’s and across our diocese, is taken.

You can place cash or giving envelopes in the collection plates as they are passed around. If you would prefer, or if you miss the plate, you can also give by tapping your contactless card or device on the giving kiosk by the door as you leave, or on our donations page.

Fight the good fight with all thy might; 
Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right; 
lay hold on life, and it shall be 
thy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace, 
lift up thine eyes, and seek his face; 
life with its way before us lies; 
Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside, upon thy guide 
lean, and his mercy will provide; 
lean, and the trusting soul shall prove 
Christ is its life, and Christ its love.

Faint not nor fear, his arms are near; 
he changeth not, and thou art dear; 
only believe, and thou shalt see 
that Christ is all in all to thee.

Words: John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-1875)
Music: melody attributed to John Hatton (d. 1793)
Hymn Tune: DUKE STREET

The Blessing

The peace of God
which passeth 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 the Holy Ghost,
be amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Thank you for being part of this evening’s act of worship.

Please join us again for Choral Evensong on Sunday 4 May at 6.00 pm. All are welcome.