Choral Evensong

From the Book of Common Prayer

The Third Sunday before Advent · Remembrance Sunday

Sunday 8 November 2026, 3.00pm

Choir: The Schola Cantorum & Lay Clerks

Preacher: Canon Michael Rawson, Sub Dean

Introit: Edwards, God be in my head

Responses: Gull

Setting: Howells Gloucester Service

Anthem: Ireland, Greater love hath no man

Welcome to Southwark Cathedral

A member of the Community of the Cross of Nails

Electronic Devices

Please ensure that all electronic devices are switched to silent.

Photography

Photography and video recording of the Choir is not permitted.

You are welcome to take photographs of the Cathedral but please do not take any photographs or videos during the service.

Hearing Loop

Please switch your device to 'T'.

Posture

The instructions in this booklet are not prescriptive. Please sit if that is more appropriate for you.

Donations

There are several donation points in the Cathedral where you can make your donation, or you can simply scan or tap the QR code, or text SOUTHWARK (Amount) to 70085 (one standard rate message is also charged). Thank you very much for your generous support of the Cathedral.

You can also support the Cathedral by buying your books from the ethical online bookseller bookshop.org and designating Southwark Cathedral shop for the 30% of purchase price donation they offer us.

Choral Evensong from the Book of Common Prayer

Wherever you are from, and however you have come to be here, you are so very welcome. Our service lasts about forty minutes and is led by our Choir and clergy. This gives you the opportunity to listen to some beautifully sung choral music, to be still at the end of the day and to reflect in a place where others have brought their joys and concerns to God over many centuries.

Can I join the congregation?

Yes, of course: if you would like to stay for the whole service, you are welcome to sit in the seats beyond the stalls where the Choir is singing, or if you have only a few minutes feel free to just sit in the nave and let the space and the music communicate something of God's beauty beyond all words.

Do I have to say or do anything?

There are places where the congregation is invited to stand and you may like to do this, but it is fine if you prefer to remain seated. You will be invited to join in with some spoken parts, printed in bold in this booklet, but you don't have to.

May I take photographs?

Please don't take photographs so we can keep the atmosphere peaceful and the space safe. We often have children singing so you can't take pictures of the service or Choir rehearsal beforehand, though you are most welcome to take pictures after the service.

May I come back to attend this service on another day?

Of course! Choral Evensong usually takes place in school term time on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 5.30pm, on some Saturdays at 4.00pm and on Sundays at 3.00pm. Do check the Cathedral website just to be sure; sometimes we have to vary our usual routine.

What's the aim of the service?

Choral Evensong is an opportunity to worship God and experience God's loving welcome in a holy space that can feel like a window on heaven.

What is Choral Evensong?

Choral Evensong is a form of worship which is several hundred years old and is unique to the Anglican Church. To be at Choral Evensong is like dropping in on a conversation which is already in progress – a conversation between God and human beings which began long before we were born and will go on long after we are dead. So do not be surprised, or disturbed, if there are some things in the conversation which you do not understand at first. The text of the service is drawn almost entirely from the Bible. Its main purpose is to proclaim the wonderful works of God in history and in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also invites those who worship to respond with praise and penitence, prayer and obedience.

The service is in three parts.

The first part, which is very brief, prepares us for the story which is to follow.

The second part is the story of what God has done (and continues to do) to save his people, beginning in the Old Testament (the Psalm and the First Reading), then moving to the New Testament (the Magnificat, the Second Reading and the Nunc Dimittis) and reaching its climax as we affirm our faith in the words of the Apostles' Creed.

The third part is our human response to the God who has revealed himself in history, in Jesus Christ and in the Church.

Why does the Choir have so much to do and the congregation so little?

Whether it's your first language or not, music has a particular power, reaching out to express truths beyond words. In worship this can happen through the simplicity of a well-known hymn sung together, or as highly skilled musicians offer something more elaborate on behalf of everyone else. This is the pattern at Choral Evensong. The Choir and organist work in partnership with the building to point us towards the beauty of God that is our source and inspiration, and the congregation are freed to rest and rejoice in God's presence.

We are so glad that you are here and hope that you find the service enriching.

Choral Evensong from the Book of Common Prayer

Please stand as the Procession enters.

The Introit

God be in my head • Edwards • Sarum Primer (1514)

God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at mine end, and at my departing.

Welcome

The Minister welcomes the congregation.

Then, the Minister and Choir sing:

The Preces

John Gull (b. 1972)

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.

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 Psalm

Please be seated as the Choir sings:

Psalm 82

1 God standeth in the congregation of princes : he is a Judge among gods.

2 How long will ye give wrong judgement : and accept the persons of the ungodly?

3 Defend the poor and fatherless : see that such as are in need and necessity have right.

4 Deliver the outcast and poor : save them from the hand of the ungodly.

5 They will not be learned nor understand, but walk on still in darkness : all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

6 I have said, Ye are gods : and ye are all the children of the most Highest.

7 But ye shall die like men : and fall like one of the princes.

8 Arise, O God, and judge thou the earth : for thou shalt take all heathen to thine inheritance.

Please stand when the Choir sings:

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.

Please be seated for:

The First Lesson

Judges 7.2-22

The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, “My own hand has delivered me.” Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, “Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.”’ Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.

Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, “This one shall go with you”, he shall go with you; and when I say, “This one shall not go with you”, he shall not go.’ So he brought the troops down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon, ‘All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other side.’ The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.’ So he took the jars of the troops from their hands, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

That same night the Lord said to him, ‘Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand. But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah; and you shall hear what they say, and afterwards your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp.’ Then he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp. The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore. When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, ‘I had a dream, and in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed.’ And his comrade answered, ‘This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army.’

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, ‘Get up; for the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hand.’ After he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, he said to them, ‘Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”’

So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled. When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah towards Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

The Magnificat

Herbert Howells (1892-1983) • Gloucester Service

Please stand as the Choir sings:

The Song of Mary is found in Luke's Gospel. Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is also pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary's greeting to Elizabeth causes the baby to leap in Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth blesses Mary and, in return, Mary sings the Magnificat. The name 'Magnificat' comes from the Latin translation of the first line; 'Magnificat anima mea Dominum' – 'my soul magnifies the Lord'. Mary sings of God's holiness and power, God's concern for the poor and judgment of the rich, the fulfilment of God's promises and the redemption of God's people.

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.

Please be seated for:

The Second Lesson

John 15.9-17

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

The Nunc Dimittis

Herbert Howells (1892-1983) • Gloucester Service

Please stand as the Choir sings:

The Nunc Dimittis, or the Song of Simeon, is also found in Luke's Gospel. A man in Jerusalem named Simeon had waited many years for the coming of the Messiah and was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen him. Simeon went to the temple and saw Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus, whom they had come to present to God. Simeon held Jesus in his arms and praised God, singing of his salvation for all people. Having seen the Messiah, Simeon could now depart ('Nunc dimittis') in peace.

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

All 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

The Minister and Choir sing:

The Lord be with you; And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Please be seated or kneel.

Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.

The Lord's Prayer

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 Responses

John Gull (b. 1972)

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.

Followed by:

The Collects

The Collect for the Day

Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Second Collect at Evening Prayer

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 Third 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 be seated as the Choir sings:

The Anthem

Greater love hath no man • John Ireland (1879-1962) • Song of Songs 8; John 15; 1 Peter 2; 1 Corinthians 6; Romans 12

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. Love is strong as death. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness. Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

on Sundays, please remain seated for:

The Sermon

Canon Michael Rawson, Sub Dean

The Prayers of Intercession

Please remain seated or kneel for:

The prayers conclude with:

All 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.

please stand for:

The Hymn

during which a collection is received.

Donate Now

NEH 392

The Blessing

Please remain standing as the Choir and clergy depart.

The Voluntary

Rhapsody No. 3 in C sharp minor • Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Thank you for joining us. Please consider supporting us with a gift. You can donate to the Cathedral by using the donation points. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code, visit southwarkcathedral.org.uk/support-us/ or text SOUTHWARK (amount) to 70085 (one standard rate message also charged). Thank you for any support that you are able to give.

Acknowledgements

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000.

All words covered by the Christian Copyright Licensing have been reproduced under CCL licence no. 223439 and livestreaming licence 145859.

The Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the USA: Scripture quotations from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible © 1989 The Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Making space for love

with heart, mind, and soul

It is good to welcome you to Southwark Cathedral. Set on the south bank of the River Thames, in one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in London, this building has been a constant witness in a place of change.

The first church was built on this site around the year 606. First a convent, then a monastery, it became in 1106 the Augustinian Priory of St Mary Overie ('over-the-river'). With Westminster Abbey and St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield, it is one of the three remaining great monastic churches of London. At the Reformation, the Priory became a parish church, and it remains so for the people of Bankside. In 1905, as south London was rapidly expanding, the church was consecrated as the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Southwark.

The Cathedral has a momentous and significant history and has had links with many famous and influential characters including St Thomas Becket, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. It has also been a Cathedral for those who feel on the edges of faith or society, our welcome reaching out to all people in their beautiful God-given diversity.

Here, our Christian faith is captured in our vision to 'make space for love: with heart, mind, and soul'. Faith requires our hearts to stand up for social justice, upholding integrity and kindness, and supporting the vulnerable and oppressed. It challenges our thinking, inviting our minds to be enquiring, honest, and generous. Faith also seeks to deepen our inner lives, with the arts and creativity, by sharing in the life of our community, and by learning the arts of prayer and attention. In Jesus Christ we see the human face of God, and our faith in him is our joy and our life.

We really hope you enjoy being here with us today and that we will see you again very soon.

Southwark Cathedral London Bridge London SE1 9DA

+44 (0)20 7367 6700 southwarkcathedral.org.uk

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