“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” And it was so: for Mary as she waited expectantly 2000 years ago, and as we wait expectantly today, we trust that it will be so again when we will “see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.” Advent is upon us, the expectant season pregnant with possibilities of “the now and the not yet.” As we proceed with all our preparations to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is easy for us to allow the exigencies of “the now” to take precedence over our expectations of “the not yet.” But “the days are surely coming,” and we need to be prepared for “the not yet” as well. The season of Advent is the liturgical time the Church has designated for our preparation for both, not for one or the other, “the now and the not yet” focused on and held together in tension in our hearts and minds. We know what is involved in getting ready for “the now” of Christmas. We do it year by year. At church, the color of the altar hangings change, and we have the lighting of the Advent candles week by week, perhaps special mid-week programs, a service of Lessons and Carols, the greening of the church for the Christmas service, all reminding us that “the days are surely coming.” At home, we may also use an Advent wreath of candles or an Advent calendar to help us mark the time as we decorate, send cards, wrap gifts, bake special goodies for those we hold dear. And somewhere in between, we find ways to brighten the days of others by dropping a donation in the red bucket, contributing to the food bank, choosing gifts for the toy drive, visiting shut-ins, and meeting other needs that come to our attention. But what about “the not yet;” how do we prepare for those days that are surely coming? It is spending time with the Lord day by day, deepening our relationship with God through prayer and meditation, scripture reading, journaling, making music, working with our dreams, through whatever spiritual practice that feeds our souls, that readies us for the day of the Lord when we will “see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.”