Choral Evensong for the Feast of St Peter, will be livestreamed and available on our YouTube channel from 6.25pm Sunday 6th July at https://www.youtube.com/live/Bzn9mUBKrl8
PRELUDE:
CONFESSION
Dearly beloved brethren, 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:
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.
ABSOLUTION
May Almighty God pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and bring you to life everlasting. Amen.
PRECCES AND RESPONSES (Ayleward)
O Lord, open thou our lips.
And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O God, make speed to save us;
O Lord, make haste to help us.
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.
OFFICE HYMN NEH 172
1 'Thou art the Christ, O Lord,
The Son of God most high!'
For ever be adored
That Name in earth and sky,
In which, though mortal strength may fail,
The saints of God at last prevail.
2 O surely he was blest
With blessedness unpriced.
Who, taught of God, confessed
The Godhead in the Christ!
For of thy Church, Lord, thou didst own
Thy saint a true foundation-stone.
3 Thrice fallen, thrice restored!
The bitter lesson learnt,
That heart for thee, O Lord,
With triple ardour burnt.
The cross he took he laid not down
Until he grasped the martyr's crown.
4 O bright triumphant faith,
O courage void of fears!
O love most strong in death,
O penitential tears!
By these, Lord, keep us lest we fall,
And make us go where thou shalt call.
PSALM: 87
1 Her foundations are upon the holy hills :
the Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than • all the dwellings of Jacob.
2 Very excellent things are spoken of thee, thou city of God.
3 I will think upon Rahab and Babylon :
with them that know me.
4 Behold ye the Philistines also :
and they of Tyre with the Morians lo there was he born.
5 And of Sion it shall be reported that he was born in her :
And the most High shall stablish her.
6 The Lord shall rehearse it when he writeth up the people :
that he was born there.
Second part:
7 The singers also and trumpeters shall he rehearse :
All my fresh springs shall be in thee.
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.
FIRST READING Galatians 1:15-2:2
But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain.
MAGNIFICAT: (Stanford in G)
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
SECOND READING: Matthew 16: 13-19
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He put this question to His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
And they said, “Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
But you, He said, “who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Christ, he said, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh that revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven. I now say to you: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.”
NUNC DIMITTIS: (Stanford in G)
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.
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.
VERSICLES AND RESPONSES
The Lord be with you;
And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
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.
O Lord, show 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.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
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.
COLLECT AGAINST ALL PERILS
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of the night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
ANTHEM: Tu es Petrus (Palestrina)
THE PRAYERS
A PRAYER FOR THE KING'S MAJESTY
O Lord of our fathers, who rulest the nations of the earth; Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to bless our Sovereign Lord, King Charles, his ministers and parliaments, and all who are set in authority throughout his dominions and the world; that they may order all things in wisdom and righteousness, to the honour of thy Holy Name and the good of all thy people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
A PRAYER OF ST JOHN CHYSOSTOM
Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
HYMN NEH 424
1 O love divine, how sweet thou art!
When shall I find my longing heart
all taken up by thee?
I thirst, I faint and die to prove
the greatness of redeeming love,
the love of Christ to me.
2 Stronger his love than death or hell;
its riches are unsearchable;
the first-born sons of light
desire in vain its depths to see;
they cannot reach the mystery,
the length and breadth and height.
3 God only knows the love of God;
O that it now were shed abroad
in this poor stony heart!
For love I sigh, for love I pine;
this only portion, Lord, be mine,
be mine this better part.
4 For ever would I take my seat
with Mary at the Master's feet:
be this my happy choice;
my only care, delight, and bliss,
my joy, my heaven on earth, be this,
to hear the Bridegroom's voice.
+BLESSING
Voluntary: