Preparing the Way: The Story Behind a New Advent Stole

Advent is a season filled with symbols. Stars point us toward Bethlehem. Candles mark the passing weeks. Angels bring extraordinary news. Evergreens remind us of enduring life.

But for this new Advent stole, I found myself thinking about something much quieter: an empty manger.

I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of an empty vessel, a space that has been made ready to receive something it does not yet hold. That idea feels particularly meaningful during Advent, a season built around waiting, expectation, and preparation.

Our newest Advent clergy stole is called Preparing the Way, and at its center is a simple golden manger.

For now, it is empty.

An Empty Manger

We know what will eventually fill the manger. Perhaps that's why it is so easy to hurry ahead in the story.

But Advent asks us not to hurry. The empty manger belongs to the before.

Before the shepherds arrive. Before the angels' song. Before Mary wraps the baby in cloth and lays him down. Before the familiar scene we recreate in Christmas pageants and nativity sets year after year, there is simply a place waiting to receive him.

The emptiness is part of the story. It holds possibility.

Mary as an Empty Vessel

Thinking about the manger led me back to Mary. Before she carried Jesus, Mary's womb was also an empty vessel. Then came the Annunciation, her extraordinary yes, and a space within her became the place where new life quietly grew.

I don't mean "empty vessel" as a description of Mary herself; she was a person with agency, courage, questions, and faith. Rather, I am intrigued by the physical and visual connection between these two spaces within the Advent story.

One would carry Christ hidden from the world. The other would receive him when he entered it. Both invite us to think about making room.

What Are We Preparing to Receive?

That may be one of the questions Advent asks of us each year. We prepare plenty of things in December. We prepare worship services and Christmas pageants. We prepare meals, gifts, homes, music, and calendars. But what space are we preparing within ourselves?

Perhaps the empty manger can become a visual reminder that preparation isn't always about adding more. Sometimes it is about creating room.

• Room for hope when we're discouraged.

• Room for peace when life feels noisy.

• Room for joy that we didn't manufacture ourselves.

• Room for love to arrive in a form we weren't expecting.

A space that is empty doesn't necessarily mean something is missing. Sometimes it means something is coming.

Preparing the Way

That is the story I wanted this stole to carry.

The rich purples place it firmly within the Advent season, while the small golden manger waits. There is no baby yet. The image doesn't rush us toward Christmas morning.

Instead, it asks us to remain in Advent for a little while. To wait. To prepare. To make room.

And perhaps that's something a clergy stole can do particularly well. Worn Sunday after Sunday, it becomes part of the visual language of worship. Before the sermon begins or the first hymn is sung, its colors and symbols already help tell the story of the season.

Preparing the Way joins our collection of handmade Advent clergy stoles, each approaching this season of waiting through different colors, fabrics, symbols, and stories.

If you're preparing for Advent worship, I invite you to explore the entire Carrot Top Studio Advent stole collection and find the imagery that speaks to the story you hope to tell this year.