November 29, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Advent 1 - Psalm 25:4-5, 21-22; antiphon: Psalm 25:1-3a

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 5:1-25; Amos 1:1-9:15; 1 Peter 2:1-12

“Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 25:22)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Advent strikes a truer chord in the Psalms. We wait for the God who has made great promises. Let me not be put to shame. By the devil, who prowls about like a lion seeking to devour me. By the world, who finds little worth in everything I call precious. By myself, because if I’m being honest, the devil and the world will probably ignore me, except for the fact that I take shelter under a God whose law I make a mockery of. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Even when his troubles are himself.

Advent is a season of penitential hope. And we treat those two things like oil and water. Real hope has no shame. The truly penitent are too downcast to dare to hope. To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul anyway. My escape from shame isn’t myself. It’s my God. It’s yours. He advents to take away your sin, to bear your shame, and promises to return in glory at last to put right everything shameful that the devil, the world, and my own sinful flesh can do wrong. So we wait in penitent hope. That’s the right kind. We won’t be lost to dwelling in our shame. We’ll take it to the Jesus who advents to bear it upon a cross, who advents to meet us at the altar with forgiveness for all of our sins, and who advents at last to free us from this vicious cycle of daily dying and rising to sin. On the Last Day, we’ll only rise.

Instead of a focus only on what’s wrong, Advent says God will show up to be what’s right. Our Redeemer. He invites everyone with shame. Bring the shame from all you’ve done. All the shame from what’s been done to you. All the shame the world heaps on you, and all the devil can stir up, too. Gather it up and take it to where God advents to join you to Himself at His table, where He feeds you with His Body and Blood and joins you to angelic hosts and all the company of heaven who sing hymns just because they see you with them at the feast. The mark of freedom from shame isn’t a perfect life. It’s one of waiting for the God who takes shame away. Indeed, none who wait for Christ shall be put to shame.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Come, Thou precious Ransom, come, Only hope for sinful mortals! Come, O Savior of the world! Open are to Thee all portals. Come, Thy beauty let us see; Anxiously we wait for Thee. (LSB 350:1)

Author: Rev. Harrison Goodman, content executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

This new devotional resource by Carl Fickenscher walks you through each week’s readings, revealing thematic connections and helping you better understand what is to come in worship each Sunday.