This is the in-between time, the time wherein, as Paul says, we “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As we prepare to celebrate the Incarnation in a few weeks, we look forward to “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” when he will come again “with great power and glory.” As Jesus reminds us, however, we “do not know when the time will come,” and as centuries pass into millennia, our anticipation fades. Most of us don’t really expect the second coming today, or even tomorrow. We know that “God is faithful,” and that, in the fullness of time, “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” will come, but in the meantime, how do we “keep awake,” as Jesus exhorts us?

The prophet Isaiah’s image of the potter and the clay suggests to me one way of remaining alert as we wait. Suppose we metaphorically offer ourselves as soft, malleable clay to the Master Potter. He takes what we offer and works with it in his hands until what he has in mind begins to take shape. Should our clay slump out of shape on the potter’s wheel, the potter reworks it until it is perfect for his purposes. After allowing it to air dry, the potter glazes it and fires it in the kiln so that the finished product will be useful. Maybe our clay has become a pitcher to pour out love into the world. Or maybe it is a basin to be used for cleansing away the stain of sin. Perhaps it is a vase to hold fragrant flowers to perfume the air in a sick room. Or maybe it is a lamp to light someone’s way in the darkness. Maybe it is a bowl made to hold soup for the hungry or perhaps a pottery basket for bread. Maybe it is a chalice or paten to be used to distribute Christ’s body and blood to a hungry, hurting world until his coming again.

Staying with the preparation process and allowing our vessel to be used for others reinvigorates our hopefulness as we “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” and inspires us to join the prophet in calling, “O come, O come, Emmanuel!”