The difference of going to church on a Wednesday

We are all familiar with the normal Sunday Service. Filing into the church to find a pew near the back, just out of the Vicars line of sight. The procession of the Choir singing the hymns loudly, so we don't quite have to. The usual order of service sometimes so much the same that it feels uncomfortable when it changes slightly.

Wednesday mornings for me is slightly different. I work on a Sunday - singing in the choir - I have to stand up , sit down, get the right music out before it is needed, ensure that the trebles in front of me have done the same. I take part in the service but I am not really involved. On a Wednesday the only thing I worry about is getting to name right in the reading. On a Sunday when I read I have to stand up in front of the congregation, on a Wednesday in the Chapel it is so much more friendly.

That's what makes the Wednesday morning service different and better for me. There are no hymns to worry about, just the service, some readings (which I often read), a psalm to share together, prayers that I listen to and  pray with, the Eucharistic prayer - which on a Sunday I don't really listen to I am just trying to catch the key phrases to tell me what part I am going to sing and get ready for to make up my part of the Anthem.

Wednesdays is a time of relaxing, of being one with the congregation. On a Sunday, I am isolated from the congregation. On Sunday I share the peace with those next to me - usually my family, on a Wednesday I can shake hands with the whole of the congregation. Now I will be the first to admit that the congregation is smaller on a Wednesday. There are often about 8-10 of us, but we take our time.

After the service we sit down at the back of the church and take time to have a natter about all sorts of things. The rest of the Wednesday congregation is slightly older than me and I go because I work in the afternoons and the evenings, but it makes no difference to the conversations and the thoughts that are shared.

The odd Wednesday when I can't attend is a strange day. Like most I lead a hectic life, dashing from here to there, trying not to miss a deadline. I miss the quietness.

I wish I could have more Wednesdays in the week.