Choral Evensong

by the Revd Dr William Lamb

During the month of July, Choral Evensong will take place each Sunday (from 10th - 31st July inclusive) at 3.30pm. Choral Evensong is one of the precious gems of the Church of England - and Oxford is one of the cities with the highest concentration per square mile of Evensong services on weekdays and Sundays anywhere in the world. During the summer vacation, as the Colleges suspend their daily round of worship, it is important that we offer the opportunity for visitors and residents to worship in this way.

Choral Evensong is a poignant part of the history and heritage of the University Church. The form of service was devised by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, as part of the Book of Common Prayer. Cranmer drew on the Christian Scriptures and the ancient monastic offices of Vespers and Compline, offering a simple, elegant framework for reflection and prayer. Cranmer lived during a particularly turbulent period within the Church in England. Within months of the accession of Mary, a Roman Catholic, to the throne, Cranmer defended his liturgical reforms and was promptly sent to the Tower of London, and found guilty of treason. Cranmer’s final opportunity for a recantation occurred at the University Church, on 21 March 1556. He deviated from the prepared script, reasserting his reformed views, and was promptly taken to Broad Street, where he was burned at the stake. Today we commemorate all the martyrs of the Reformation period and commit ourselves to the task of reconciliation as we give thanks for our common witness in the world.

Evensong will be sung by the University Church Choir under the direction of Robert Howarth. Please join us on Sundays during July as "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.’ This simple service provides a frame and a cue for each of us to pray and to give voice to our hopes, our needs, and our gratitude. We look forward to seeing you there.