“ Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” - Matthew 25:13
This is a curious instruction in the Gospel lesson, because in the parable all ten bridesmaids fall asleep, including the wise ones. So Jesus can't mean we should never close our eyes. Nobody can stay up through every long night, and he knows it.
Maybe keeping awake is less about our eyelids than about our attention. It means being alert to the life in front of us and not living on autopilot until something big happens. We don't know the day or the hour, and that includes the hour of God's arrival. We don’t know the hour of a phone call that changes everything, the hour when a quiet moment turns out to be holy. If we only look for God in the dramatic moments, we'll miss the ones that are here now.
Most of what matters happens in ordinary hours: a conversation over coffee, a neighbor who needs a ride, a moment of gratitude at the kitchen sink, a pause before we answer sharply. Keeping awake means noticing them and saying yes to what they ask of us.
This instruction is also a word of trust. We are not asked to know the schedule, only to stay ready. The uncertainty should not feel like a threat, because the God who comes is the God who has already promised to meet us.
Something to carry this week: When have you been on autopilot lately? What might change if you treated this ordinary hour as one God could show up in?
Prayer: Holy One, you know neither our days nor our hours are ours to control. Wake us gently to the life you've given us today. Keep us watchful without fear, and open our eyes to your nearness in the ordinary. Amen.
Blessings, Pastor Erin
