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Festal Evensong
on
The Eve of St Cuthbert’s Day
Friday 19 March 2021
5.15 p.m.Welcome to Durham Cathedral
for this celebration on the Eve of St Cuthbert’s Day
The Gathering
Minister The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you
All and also with you.
A minister gives thanks for the gift of light
Blessed are you, Sovereign God,
our light and our salvation,
eternal creator of day and night,
to you be glory and praise for ever.
Today we celebrate with joy your holy servant Cuthbert,
in whose honour this house of prayer was built.
By the light of Christ, dispel the darkness of our hearts
that we may join the fellowship of the saints in light,
where songs of praise for ever sound.
Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
All Blessed be God for ever.
Preces Daniel Cook
Cantor O Lord, open thou our lips.
Choir 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.
2Praise ye the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
Welcome The Reverend Canon Michael Everitt
Psalm 62
My soul truly waiteth still upon God : for of him cometh my
salvation.
He verily is my strength and my salvation : he is my defence,
so that I shall not greatly fall.
How long will ye imagine mischief against every man : ye
shall be slain all the sort of you; yea, as a tottering wall
shall ye be, and like a broken hedge.
Their device is only how to put him out whom God will
exalt : their delight is in lies; they give good words with
their mouth, but curse with their heart.
Nevertheless, my soul, wait thou still upon God : for my
hope is in him.
He truly is my strength and my salvation : he is my defence,
so that I shall not fall.
In God is my health, and my glory : the rock of my might,
and in God is my trust.
O put your trust in him alway, ye people : pour out your
hearts before him, for God is our hope.
As for the children of men, they are but vanity : the children
of men are deceitful upon the weights, they are altogether
lighter than vanity itself.
O trust not in wrong and robbery, give not yourselves unto
vanity : if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
God spake once, and twice I have also heard the same : that
power belongeth unto God;
And that thou, Lord, art merciful : for thou rewardest every
man according to his work.
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.
3Minister That this evening may be holy, good and peaceful,
let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept
As our evening prayer rises before you, O God,
so may your mercy come down upon us
to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing your praise
for ever and ever.
All Amen.
Sit
Reading St Bede’s Life of Cuthbert, Chapters 16, 17 & 24
God’s holy servant Cuthbert spent many days in the monastery at Melrose,
distinguishing himself by performing many acts of power. Then, Eata his
Abbot transferred him to the monastery of Lindisfarne as Prior, to teach the
true rule of monastic life and to adorn it by his perfect example. He
continued his regular visits to the ordinary people in the region, to inspire
them to seek and to be worthy of heavenly rewards. He became revered for
his miracles, for his prayers healed many who suffered from all kinds of
illnesses and adversities. After many years in the monastery, and with the
full support of the abbot and monks, at last he embraced with great joy the
remoter solitude he had desired for so long, and for which he had thirsted
and prayed. Unlike Lindisfarne, the Farne is an island far out to sea.
Cuthbert was the first man with the courage to live there entirely alone.
After some years had passed, a great synod was held at which Cuthbert was
popularly elected as Bishop of Lindisfarne. Despite receiving many letters
and constant messengers, he refused to move. So the King and the most holy
bishop Trumwine, along with many other devout and notable leaders of the
community sailed across to the Farne. There they knelt, and exhorted him by
the Lord, and wept and pleaded with him, until finally he came out from his
beloved sanctuary, and with many tears, was taken to the synod. Very
reluctantly he was won over by their unanimous decision and compelled to
take upon himself the yoke of the episcopate.
4Stand
Magnificat Herbert Sumsion 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 handmaiden.
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 showed 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.
Sit
Second Lesson Matthew 9. 35-end
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing
every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had
compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful,
but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out
labourers into his harvest.’
5Stand
Nunc Dimittis Herbert Sumsion 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
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.
6The Lesser Litany, Responses and Collects Daniel Cook
Cantor The Lord be with you.
Choir And with thy spirit.
Cantor Let us pray.
Choir 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, shew thy mercy upon us.
And grant us thy salvation.
O Lord, save the Queen.
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.
7Give 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 St Cuthbert’s Day
Loving Father,
whom the whole company of the saints adore:
we rejoice with all our hearts in Cuthbert,
glory of our sanctuary
and ever-living symbol of our apostleship.
Help us to follow his example
by the simplicity of our lives
and by the power of our witness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
The Second 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.
8The 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.
Anthem The Spirit of the Lord
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the broken-
hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight
to the blind, - to preach the acceptable year of the Lord; to give unto
them that mourn a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called
trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be
glorified. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden
causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God
will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the
nations.
from Isaiah 61 Edward Elgar
Minister Blessed are they who have not walked
in the counsel of the wicked:
All Whose delight is in the law of the Lord.
They are like trees planted beside streams of water:
Bearing fruit in due season.
Great is the Lord and wonderfully worthy to be praised:
His greatness is past searching out.
One generation shall praise his works to another:
The righteous will be held in everlasting remembrance.
9Reading St Bede’s Life of Cuthbert, Chapters 37, 39 and 40
In his second year as Bishop, Cuthbert knew that death was near. He laid
down his pastoral duties and returned as soon as was possible to his beloved
life of solitary conflict. His body was wracked by weeks of unremitting
illness. His life ended as follows, in the account I received from Herefrith, a
devout and sincere priest, the present Abbot of Lindisfarne:
‘Cuthbert became ill you know on a Wednesday, and it was also on a
Wednesday that his illness overcame him and he went to his Lord. He spent
the day quietly till evening, anticipating the bliss of the world to come.
Through the evening, he continued peacefully with his prayers. At the usual
time for Compline, I gave him the sacraments that bring eternal life. Thus
strengthened with the Body and Blood of the Lord, in preparation for the
death that he knew was now imminent, he lifted up his eyes to heaven,
raised his arms on high, and with his mind caught up in the Lord’s praise, he
committed his spirit to the rapture of Paradise.
‘We laid the body of our esteemed father in the boat and brought it across the
sea to Lindisfarne. There, the body was received by the choir and the great
crowd that had assembled to meet it. The body, placed in a stone coffin, was
buried on the right side of the altar in the Church of Blessed Peter the
Apostle.’
Minister Gracious God,
we thank you for your servant Cuthbert,
in life a minister of your grace,
in death a channel of your glory.
Grant that in the glad company of your saints
we may journey on in faith,
and at the last, be brought home
to your dwelling place in joy;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
All Amen.
10Hymn Ring Christ, ring Mary, Benedict and Bede sung by the Choir
Ring Christ, ring Mary, Benedict and Bede,
With Michael, till our hearts from sin be freed;
Ring Cuthbert, Oswald, Margaret and Hild,
Till, blessed Lord, our hearts with joy be filled.
Let bells peal forth the universal fame,
Creator Lord, of thy mysterious name;
Conscience within, the boundless heavens above,
Disclose to faith the hidden name of Love.
Loudly proclaim with each insistent chime
How thine eternity redeems our time;
Past sins forgiven, and future hopes restored,
Reveal thy presence with us, gracious Lord.
Spirit divine, re-cast our faulty ways,
Make them ring true and echo to thy praise;
Through every change of circumstance and choice
May we confess thee with a single voice.
Call us to worship, call us to obey,
Call us to pilgrimage along life's way;
Rouse us from sleep; renewed in mind and heart,
Call us to love thee, Lord, since Love thou art.
Ring Christ, ring Mary, Benedict and Bede,
With Michael, till our hearts from sin be freed;
Ring Cuthbert, Oswald, Margaret and Hild,
Till, blessed Lord, our hearts with joy be filled.
Peter Baelz Walter Greatorex
11The Conclusion
The Vice-Dean bids farewell to the people
Minister May God,
who kindled the fire of his love in the hearts of the saints,
pour upon you the riches of his grace.
All Amen.
May he give you joy in their fellowship
and a share in their praises.
Amen.
May he strengthen you to walk in the way of holiness
and to come to the full radiance of glory.
Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Final Responses Edward Naylor
Cantor The Lord be with you;
Choir And with thy spirit.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Voluntary Allegro maestoso (Sonata in G, Op. 28) Edward Elgar
Thank you for joining us in worship today. If you would like to make an
offering to Durham Cathedral to support our worship and plans for recovery
following Covid-19, please visit: https://localgiving.org/charity/
durhamcathedral/
Holy Communion for St Cuthbert’s day is celebrated in the Shrine on Saturday 20
March at 8.30 a.m. and is live-streamed on the Cathedral’s Facebook page.
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