Chapel Service Booklet Summer Term 2025 by Tonbridge School

CHAPEL SERVICES

SUMMER TERM 2025

Principal Holy Days, Festivals and Memorials

23rd April

28th April

1st May

4th May

14th May

27th May

29th May

St George, Patron of England

St Mark, Evangelist

Ss Philip and James

The English Martyrs

St Mathias, Apostle

St Augustine of Canterbury, Patron of the Chapel

Ascension of the Lord

31st May Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

8th June

11th June

15th June

19th June

24th June

30th June

Pentecost

St Barnabas, Apostle

Trinity Sunday

Corpus Christi

Birth of St John the Baptist

Ss Peter and Paul, Apostles

The Holy Eucharist

The Holy Eucharist will be celebrated as announced.

House Prayer Weeks

We pray for everyone by name in the House during their week.

Cover: Chapel of St Augustine

Photo: Julian Thomas

Wednesday 23rd April

8.35am

Beginning of Term Service

Hymn 85 Lord God of Hosts

Reading John 20:11-18

The Chapel Choir will be singing Evensong for St George’s Day at Southwark Cathedral, London on Wednesday 23rd April, at 5.30pm

All are welcome to attend

Friday 25th April

Hymn 249 And did those feet Pilgrimage Site Jerusalem

Introduction to the Friday Services

On Fridays this term, Fr Peters will talk about places of Pilgrimage. Pilgrimage involves a journey, sometimes a purely spiritual one, but often a physical journey from home to a place of particular interest or calling. Christians have travelled on pilgrimage from the very earliest years of the Church. This term we will look at a number of pilgrimage spots around the wrold and see what draws millions of pilgrims to them every year and what pilgrimage might mean to us.

House Prayer Week:

Sunday 27th April

10.30am School Matins

Welldon House and Smythe House parents invited

Introit Hymn 68 Thine be the Glory

Responses Clucas

Easter Anthems Red Book p80

First Reading John 20:19-31

Canticle Jubilate in C - Britten

Second Reading A reading from a sermon by John Donne Hymn 62 Jesus Christ is Risen Today

Prayers

Anthem Let all the world - Vaughan Williams

Address The Headmaster Hymn 56 Alleluia! Alleluia! (During which the collection will be taken)

Blessing

Organ Voluntary Toccata (from Symphonie V) - Widor

The collection will be taken for the Welldon and Smythe House Charities: Welldon House is supporting Child Action Lanka, a charity that works with children in both rural and urban deprived areas, as well as women and their families. Smythe House sponsor the education of four children in Uganda, Bangladesh and Kenya through the Action Aid charity.

Benjamin Britten wrote his Jubilate in C in response to a request by the then Duke of Edinburgh for a companion piece to his Te Deum in the same key. It is a lively setting of the words of Psalm 100 interspersed with contrasting quieter sections.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Five Mystical Songs” are settings of poems by the 17th century English priest-poet, George Herbert. The final one in the set “Let all the world” is a joyous outpouring of praise which resonates with the Easter message of the triumph of life over death. The words can be found in the hymnbook, number 186.

Oakeshott House

Tuesday 29th April

Hymn 168 He who would valiant be Speaker Dr Jeremy King

Friday 2nd May

Hymn 80 Tell out, my soul

Pilgrimage Site Little Walsingham

Introduction to the Tuesday Services

This term, members of the Common Room will be speaking about the Old Testament, especially referencing their favourite character from that set of books, fables, mysteries, dreams, laws, history, and visions.

Sunday 4th May – Exeat Weekend

Hill Side

Tuesday 6th May

Hymn 169 (i) How shall I sing that majesty Speaker Mr Nicholas Rendall

Friday 9th May

Hymn 70 Ye Choirs of new Jerusalem Pilgrimage Site Assisi

Sunday 11th May

7.15pm School Evensong

Introit Hymn 157 (ii) Glorious things of thee are spoken

Responses Smith

Psalm 33 Red Book p40

First Reading John 10:22-30

Canticle Nunc dimittis Collegium regale - Howells

Second Reading A reading from a sermon of St Augustine

Hymn 149 Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Prayers

Anthem Most glorious Lord of Life - Harris

Sermon Fr David Peters, Senior Chaplain

Hymn 103 The day Thou gavest

Blessing

Organ Voluntary Postlude on a theme of Orlando Gibbons (Op.105, no.2) - Stanford

At the start of this year’s Christian Aid week, the collection this evening (which will be a retiring collection) will be for the work of Christian Aid, a charity which works with local partners and communities to fight injustice, respond to humanitarian emergencies, campaign for change, and help people claim the services and rights they are entitled to: www.christianaid.org.uk

Most glorious Lord of life, that on this day, Didst make thy triumph over death and sin: And having harrow’d hell, didst bring away Captivity thence captive, us to win:

This joyous day, dear Lord, with joy begin, And grant that we for whom thou diddest die, Being with thy dear blood clean wash’d from sin, May live for ever in felicity.

And that thy love we weighing worthily, May likewise love thee for the same again: And for thy sake, that all like dear didst buy, With love may one another entertain.

So let us love, dear love, like as we ought, Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught.

Music: William Harris (1883-1973) Text: Edmund Spenser (1552-1599)

Judde House

Tuesday 13th May

Hymn 64 Love’s redeeming work is done Speaker Mr Julian Dobson

Friday 16th May

Hymn Libera me - Fauré (Red Book p105) Pilgrimage Site Lourdes

Sunday 18th May

7.15pm Choral Evensong Friends & Patrons invited

Responses Clucas

Psalm 105 (vv.1-15)

First Reading John 13:31-35

Hymn 57 At the Lamb’s High Feast we sing (omit *) Canticle Magnificat in D - Dyson

Second Reading A reading from a sermon of St Peter Damian Canticle Nunc dimittis in D - Dyson

Creed Red Book p10

Hymn 229 The Lord’s my Shepherd Responses Clucas

Anthem Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace - SS Wesley Prayers

Hymn 178 Jerusalem the Golden Blessing

Organ Voluntary Voluntary in D - Dyson

The Collection (which will be a retiring collection) will be taken for Music in Hospitals & Care, a charity that improves the health and wellbeing of children and adults through the healing power of live music: www.mihc.org.uk

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee. The darkness is no darkness with Thee, but the night is as clear as the day.

The darkness and the light to Thee are both alike.

God is light and with Him is no darkness at all.

O let my soul live and it shall praise Thee.

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for evermore.

Music: Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)

Text: Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 139:11, 1 John 1:5b, Psalm 119:175, Matthew 6:13.

School House

Tuesday 20th May

Hymn 186 Let all the world Speaker Mr Henry Swales

Friday 23rd May

Hymn 219 Rejoice, the Lord is King! Pilgrimage Site Canterbury

5.00pm Leavers’ Service for Boys and Parents

Half Term

Sunday 8th June sees the Feast of Pentecost or Whitsunday, the day on which Christians recall the sending out by God of the Holy Spirit to the world. There are many different names for this Spirit. The one which I prefer is Paraclete, which comes from the Greek ‘paracleetos’ is often further translated as ‘Advocate’ or ‘Comforter’.

I prefer the term ‘Paraclete’, more than the other more usual terms of Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit, precisely for those two terms Advocate and Comforter, which seem to sum up the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives best of all. For what Pentecost really represents, is the comforting realisation that God in the person of the Father, in the person of the Son and in the person and movements of the Paraclete, is with us on earth and that it did not all end at the crucifixion, or at the resurrection or indeed at the Ascension.

Pentecost allows us to see through that Easter text so often misunderstood around churches; the text ‘He is Risen. He is not here!’ For through the workings of the Holy Paraclete so we can feel the strength of God helping us in our dealings with and in the world as his Advocate’s and in his advocacy of ourselves as his people. We can also feel the Comfort of his presence here on earth both in the world and, most especially, at the Holy Eucharist. The Collect for Pentecost in the Book of Common Prayer tells us this when it says, ‘God, who at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by the sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort.’

That isn’t just some meaningless phrase in quaint olde-worlde English but a profound statement of the great love of God for his people and our immense privilege in being able to recognise and gain comfort from that knowledge. For yes, we are indeed sinners, but we are sinners whose God has come down and lived as one of us, has died for us, harrowed the depths of hell for us, risen from the dead for us, ascended into heaven for us and now grants his ever-presence for us. That is what we mean when we describe the Holy Paraclete as Comforter. For what could be more comforting than the ever-presence of God?

Fr David Peters

Tuesday 3rd June

Hymn 194 (i) Love Divine, all loves excelling Speaker Mr John Bleakley

Friday 6th June

Hymn 188 Lift up your hearts! Pilgrimage Site Taizé

House Prayer Week:

Sunday 8th June

7.15pm School Evensong for Pentecost

Introit Hymn

Responses

Psalm

74 Come Down, O Love Divine

Thomas

104 Red Book p45

First Reading Acts 2:1-11

Canticle

Nunc dimittis in G - Sumsion

Second Reading A reading from the sermons of St Ambrose

Hymn

Prayers

208 O Thou who camest from above

Anthem The Spirit of the Lord - Elgar

Sermon

Hymn

Blessing

103 The day Thou gavest

Organ Voluntary Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott (BuxWV199) - Buxtehude

The Collection (which will be a retiring collection) will be taken for the Scotts Project, a Tonbridge-based charity which supports adults with learning disabilities to strive to reach their aspirations and make choices about how they want to live their lives: www.scottsproject.org.uk

The Spirit of the Lord is the opening section of a large-scale oratorio by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) called The Apostles. It focuses on the Calling of the Apostles and their commission to go out into the world and spread the Word through the gift of the Holy Spirit; hence the appropriateness of it as today’s anthem on the Feast of Pentecost.

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 recovery 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 the 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 that 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. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel.

Music: Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Text: Isaiah 61: vv.1-3,11

Park House

Tuesday 10th June

Hymn 161 God is our strength and refuge Speaker Fr David Peters

Friday 13th June

Instead of a talk this morning, some members of the school will give a musical reflection for the day.

Hymn 214 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven

Sunday 15th June

9.00pm Compline for Trinity Sunday

Preparation Hymn Book p531

Hymn 99 God that madest Earth and Heaven

Psalm Hymn Book p532

Reading John 16:12-15

Canticle Nunc dimittis with fauxbourdons - Morley

Prayers

Anthem If ye love me - Tallis

Hymn 77 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Tuesday 17th June

Hymn 131 All my hope on God is founded Speaker The Headmaster

Friday 20th June

Hymn 217 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (omit *) Pilgrimage Site Santiago de Compostela

Sunday 22nd June – Exeat weekend

On the 19th June we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi, on which the Church commemorates and gives thanks for the foundation of the Eucharist. This day was one of the great festivals of the pre-reformation Church in England, with feasts and celebrations. The Skinners’ Company still keeps to the annual tradition of electing its Master for the coming year on the day, and boys from Tonbridge sing at the service in the City of London.

He bore him up, he bore him down, He bore him into an orchard brown.

Lully, lullay, lully, lullay!