Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Advent-Christmas Devotional - 2017 - single page | Page 7

Removing Stains
Monday, December 4th
Isaiah 1:18
I’m not a very big fan of doing laundry, and even more so when there are stains to deal with. I’ve seen the
commercials for products like OxiClean and Shout stain removers, and have even made use of the Tide to-
go Pen on more than one occasion. But from experience, I can say that it is almost impossible to
completely remove some stains. Grass stains leave a hint of green resi due, grape juice and wine stains
leave traces of purple, and spaghetti sauce stains are unmistakably difficult to treat.
Our text for today paints a similar picture. Isaiah calls our sins like scarlet and red as crimson. There is no
way I would bother to try to treat a white shirt where the entire fabric was basically dyed deep red. I might
get a one-square-inch section to somewhat resemble a shade of white again, but I would likely discard the
garment. Later in Isaiah, he refers to even our righteous acts as filthy rags. With that reality, what hope is
left?
I had the privilege to contribute to the writing of a song about baptism, and I want to share some of the
lyrics with you now, as I believe they accurately describe our reaction to our sinful stains. “Shameful I
scour my sinful soul; stains will remain nonetheless. But if you say you won’t notice the dirt for I’ll be
dressed in your righteousness, then I’ll say: What can stand in the way of my being baptized if all of it is
done by you? It’s your hand in the water that washes my life and makes it new.”
The truth of the matter is we can try and try to scrub away the dirt and the shame from our sins, but if it
were up to us, the stains will remain. It is God who covers us in Jesus’s righteousness and erases our sins.
Our text reminds us, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red
as crimson, they shall be like wool.” What a comfort to know that it does not depend on us, and that our
sins have been removed from us as high as the heavens are above the earth, and as far as the east is from
the west (Psalm 103:12). God doesn’t look at us in disgust and discard us, but he restores us and removes
our regret.
Prayer: Lord, we know that we are broken and in need of restoration. Thank you for sending your Son to
be our substitute. Help us to live our lives renewed in confidence that our sins have been forgiven and that
you have covered us in the righteousness of Jesus. In his name we pray, Amen.
Activity: As a reminder of our Baptisms and renewal in Christ, read through the rite of Holy Baptism on
pages 12-14 of Christian Worship.
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