On the 8th of May 1945 London was awash with the sounds of celebration as victory in Europe was declared and the world once again made for peace. The streets were filled with people, all the church bells rang, and services were held in thanksgiving. It is meet and right that 80 years on we gather once more in this great city to give thanks to Almighty God for this victory, to honour the sacrifices made to bring this to pass and to pray that peace may rule and govern the hearts of all in our world today.
It has been said that attending Evensong is like dropping in on a conversation between God and his people which began long before we were born and will continue long after we are gone. The service enfolds the participant into the mystery of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Beginning with the ancient songs of Israel (the Psalms) and a reading from the Old Testament, we place ourselves within this narrative. The Magnificat, a song sung by Mary on visiting her cousin Elizabeth, anticipates the change of the old-world order and the fulfilment of a promise in the birth of Jesus. The New Testament lesson recalls the life of Christ, his teachings and the reality of those who followed him in those first decades. The Nunc Dimittis, the song of Simeon, follows the lesson and sends us out with a settled peace and the hope that our eyes have seen salvation, which is not just for a few, but the whole world.
The gift of Evensong is the music and this evening the choir will sing most of the service on behalf of the congregation, but please do follow along in the service books. The setting for the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis is composed by George Dyson who on the outbreak of the First World War joined the Royal Fusiliers, becoming grenadier officer of the 99th infantry brigade. The Anthem, Greater Love, recalls Jesus words in John’s Gospel: ‘Greater love hath no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends.
