Wednesday = hump day

Although you do not hear it much any more, when I was growing up Wednesdays were often referred to as hump days, the middle, or hump of the week. People always looked forward to Wednesdays because the week was more than half over. Mondays were hated because we had to go back to work, Tuesdays were simply tolerated, but Wednesdays were looked forward to because we were then on the downhill side of the week heading towards Friday, the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend.

For us as Orthodox Christians, lent changes our attitudes towards Wednesdays. We still look forward to Wednesday but not as something to get past to get to the weekend, but we look at Wednesday as a focus, as an anchor point in our Lenten struggle. Why? Because Wednesdays bring us face to face with our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist of the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy.

The Pre-Sanctified Liturgy is a hybrid service if you will, that combines parts of the Vesper Service with the Divine Liturgy. One of the highlights of this service is the entrance with the censer by the Priest after the sing of Psalm 140 and its verses. At this entrance the Priest comes before the Royal Doors and exclaims "Wisdom!" and the lights in the church, which before have been dim, are now brightened as the Priest censes the altar and the people. This movement from dark to light signifies the entrance of Christ into the world..

Pre-Sanctified Liturgy then becomes a movement from dark to light for us during our Lenten journey. This is why it is so important for us in our Lenten efforts to attend this service, to receive the Body and Blood of Christ and to let this light of Christ shine in and through us. The Wednesday Pre-Sanctified Liturgy must be a way point for us in our Lenten travels, a refreshing  pause in our journey where we regain our strength and then go out and continue our good fight, our good race, a fight and race that leads to an empty tomb and salvation for each and every one of us.