Advent Devotional December 19, 2025

Scripture

Psalm 130

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

5 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

Devotion

The Rev. Dr. Paul Yanchek '23

We all have regrets. Sometimes the regrets are not significant. You order the chicken at a restaurant, while the person with you orders the fish. When the meals arrive, you find that the fish looks much better than the dish that is in front of you. Other than a diminished dining experience, that regret is short-lived and without significant consequence.

However, there are moments in life when the regret is accompanied by shame. Perhaps the shame has left you feeling like a failure, or that God could never possibly love you. As a pastor, I have spoken to countless people who have (half-jokingly) said that if they ever walked into a church, it would be struck by lightning.

Psalm 130 gives us a very important two-letter word: “if.” If the Lord “should mark iniquities . . . who could stand?” In other words, if God were to “retain or treasure up” our sins, we would have no hope. But Advent brings the news that, “to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk 2:11)—the Messiah of whom John would declare, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).

In the arrival of the Christ, we know the forgiveness of sins that the Psalmist celebrates in verse four. Romans 8:1 assures us: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The sins, the regrets, the mistakes, and the shame—all of it taken away.

As the days count down to Christmas morning, let us allow our hearts to embrace the gift prepared for us. Not a gift wrapped in glossy paper and tied with a bow, but a gift sealed by the love of God. A gift that declares to us: “blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin” (Rom 4:8).

Prayer

Lord, thank you for setting me free from my sins, my shames, and my regrets. Guide me to live in the reality that I am a new creation in Christ. I am no longer defined by my past, but by who You say that I am. Thank you for the gift of Your Son. Amen.

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