Advent 3: Joy for Exiles | Samuel Voo | Dec 14, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Christmas Beyond the Skit: Ancient Story, Living Hope

We often approach the nativity like a children’s play—sweet, simple, and familiar—but it was written as a profound announcement to a weary world. When you slow down, you begin to hear the intentional notes: history, promise, and a claim that God is returning to His people. Luke’s account doesn’t invite sentimentality alone; it invites surrender and hope. You are being asked to receive news that reshapes reality, not just a tradition that warms a season. Let your heart linger long enough to be addressed by God’s living story today [02:30].

Luke 2:10–11
The messenger said, “Set aside your fear; I am bringing news that will gladden every heart. Today, in David’s town, a deliverer has been born for you—the Anointed One, the rightful Lord.”

Reflection: Where have you kept the Christmas story in the “sweet and familiar” category, and what simple practice this week (like a slow re-reading of Luke 2 with a journal) could open space for God to address you personally?

Day 2: The End of Exile Begins in Bethlehem

Exile feels like a long, heavy season stretched across generations—home is near, yet somehow not home at all. Israel knew this ache: foreign rule, crushing taxes, and, worst of all, the sense that God’s glory had left the temple. Into that ache, the night sky split open and glory returned—not to a marble sanctuary but to fields and shepherds. The message was unmistakable: God has come near again, and the long night is ending. In Jesus’ birth, the beginning of the end of exile has arrived for all who are longing to be gathered home [11:16].

Ezekiel 10:18–19
God’s radiant presence moved from the innermost room to the doorway, rose up, and departed from the temple, pausing at the east gate—signaling that His glory had lifted and His people were living apart from His nearness.

Reflection: In what specific place of your life do you feel “not at home,” and how might you invite God’s returning presence into that very place this week?

Day 3: Glory Comes to Ordinary People

When God’s glory returned, it did not settle on stone walls but on open fields and ordinary lives. This is a new kind of nearness: not confined to a building or mediated by a few, but carried by people indwelt by the Spirit. In Christ, God names His people as His temple—where He chooses to dwell. That means workplace desks, kitchen tables, and late-night sidewalks can become holy ground. Expect God’s presence to meet you in the ordinary, and your ordinary to become radiant with Him [10:40].

1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you realize that you yourselves are God’s sanctuary and that His Spirit takes up residence within you?

Reflection: What is one ordinary place you will inhabit this week, and how could you intentionally welcome God’s presence there (a whispered prayer before a meeting, a blessing at the sink, a pause on your commute)?

Day 4: Savior, Messiah, and Lord: Bowing to the King

The child born in David’s town is named with three royal words: Savior, Messiah, and Lord. Israel heard in these titles the voice of God Himself—the Rescuer, the Anointed King, the covenant Name who rules with authority. Humanity tends to run, convinced we can govern ourselves, until Love catches us and carries us home. Jesus comes to take His rightful place, not to crush but to heal, lead, and restore. Joy grows where knees bend, because surrender places our lives back in the hands of the One who truly knows the way [20:59].

Isaiah 43:11–13
“I, and no other, am your Rescuer. No rival can deliver from My hand. When I act, no one can reverse it.”

Reflection: Where is one concrete decision you’re making this week that could move from self-rule to Christ’s rule, and what would bowing the knee look like in that exact decision?

Day 5: Advent Joy: Purpose Greater Than Circumstance

Happiness rises and falls with the weather of our circumstances; joy rests on a larger horizon. Advent announces that history has a King, your life has a story, and today fits within God’s good purposes. When you align your choices with His reign, even tears can be held by meaning and hope. This is why the angel calls the news “great joy”—it anchors you beyond the moment. Let your heart take its cues from God’s bigger story, and you will find a gladness the wind cannot steal [22:49].

Luke 2:10
“Do not be afraid. I am announcing good news that brings deep joy to all people.”

Reflection: Identify one circumstance that is draining your happiness; what small, faithful practice could root you in God’s larger purpose there (a daily thank-you list, a short Scripture to carry, a simple act of service)?

Sermon Summary

I loved watching the kids retell the nativity, but I wanted us to feel how the first hearers felt. Two thousand years ago, Luke and Matthew didn’t write a script for a school play; they wrote into a people still aching from exile. Exile wasn’t simply being far from home—it was feeling far from God. Ezekiel describes the unthinkable: God’s glory rising, pausing at the temple threshold, and departing. That’s what exile feels like—presence withdrawn, promises delayed, life under foreign rule. And yet, in Luke’s account, the night sky cracks open and the glory returns—not to the temple, but to shepherds. That shift announces the beginning of the end of exile: God has come back to his people, now among ordinary people, not confined to a building.

Think of it like the first words at the end of a long journey. When my examiners said, “Congratulations, Dr. Vu,” the revisions still lay ahead, but the decisive verdict had been given. The angels’ announcement is that verdict for the world: “In the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Savior—the rescuing God of Isaiah. Christ—the anointed King. Lord—Yahweh himself. God has returned in Jesus to take his rightful place as King. Our instinct is to run, like a child bolting into the rain, sure we know better—until Love catches us, lifts us, and brings us home. Surrender to Jesus’ lordship isn’t a loss of self; it’s the recovery of who we’re made to be.

And that’s where joy comes in. Happiness is a gust of warm air when circumstances align; joy is a deep fire that keeps burning when the weather turns. Joy grows when life is tethered to a purpose larger than our comfort. Parents understand this—there are tears and late nights and questions, and yet there’s meaning because love has a goal. Advent joy is that gladness: God’s story is advancing, the King has come, exile is ending, and we’re invited into his reign. So where do you long to experience that joy? Ask what Jesus, your Lord, is inviting you to do there—then step into it with him.

Key Takeaways

1. Exile ends as glory returns Ezekiel’s vision of God’s departing presence named Israel’s deepest ache; Luke’s angels signal that presence returning. The surprising location—fields, not temple—reframes where and to whom God draws near. Exile begins to end when we recognize his glory is no longer remote but arriving in our ordinary places. Let that awareness reorient how you wait, work, and worship. [10:40]
2. Christ the Lord claims kingship “Savior, Christ, Lord” is not religious filler; it’s a royal declaration that God himself has taken the throne in Jesus. If he is King, then my plans are not ultimate—his will is the grain of the universe. Bowing the knee is not subjugation but alignment with reality, the path where wisdom and freedom meet. Joy grows where obedience dethrones the self. [17:20]
3. Joy deeper than changing circumstances Happiness rides the waves of happenstance; joy anchors in God’s unchanging purpose. Joy does not deny pain—it refuses to let pain have the last word. When my life is caught up in God’s larger story, even costly seasons throb with meaning. Joy is the quiet yes that keeps me faithful in the dark. [22:49]
4. Ordinary people become God’s dwelling The temple once localized presence; in Christ, the Spirit indwells people. That means sacred space now walks into classrooms, offices, kitchens, and hospital rooms. Holiness is no longer a destination but a vocation: we carry the Presence. Live like a living temple—available, attentive, and responsive to God. [09:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:49] - Why the birth stories matter
[03:49] - Outline: Exile, Gospel, Joy
[05:47] - Feeling the weight of exile
[06:51] - Ezekiel: Glory leaves the temple
[08:51] - Do Christians have temples?
[10:40] - Glory returns—appears to shepherds
[11:52] - Beginning of the end of exile
[12:55] - PhD defense illustration
[15:03] - The gospel in three words
[17:20] - God’s reign in Jesus
[21:46] - Joy is not mere happiness
[23:15] - Purpose, parenting, and endurance
[25:46] - Entering God’s larger story
[26:43] - Reflection questions for Advent

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Luke 2:8-14

Observation questions
- In Luke 2:8-14, who receives the angel’s announcement and what surrounds them when it happens?
- In verse 11, what three titles are given to the newborn Jesus, and where is he born?
- According to the Ezekiel vision retold, how does God’s glory move—where is it first, where does it pause, and where does it go? [07:42]
- In the birth story, where does God’s glory show up—and where does it not show up—and why is that surprising? [11:16]

Interpretation questions
- If God’s glory returns not to the temple but to shepherds, what does that teach about how God chooses to draw near and where he wants to dwell today? [11:16]
- “Savior, Christ, Lord” is a royal declaration. If Jesus truly holds that authority, what does that say about whose will sets the direction for life and plans? [17:20]
- The announcement in Bethlehem is like hearing “the beginning of the end” of exile. How does that shape the way a person waits, hopes, and perseveres now? [14:24]
- Joy is described as a deep, abiding gladness rooted in something greater than temporary pleasure. How might rooting joy in God’s purpose change the way someone walks through pain or uncertainty? [22:49]

Application questions
- Where do you feel most “in exile” right now—far from home or far from God? What would it look like to notice and welcome God’s presence in that very place this week? [06:51]
- If God’s presence now dwells in people, not buildings, how could you carry his presence into one ordinary place you’ll be this week (classroom, office, kitchen, hospital room)? Be specific about one action or conversation. [09:27]
- “Savior, Christ, Lord” means Jesus is King. What is one decision, plan, or habit you will place under his lordship this week? What concrete step will you take to align with his will? [17:20]
- Think about the “running in the rain” moment. Where have you been bolting in your own direction lately? What would it look like to stop, let Love catch you, and be carried home? Name one step you’ll take. [18:46]
- Name one area where you’ve been chasing happiness. What is one practice you can adopt this week to tether your heart to God’s larger purpose there (prayer, serving, obedience in a hard choice)? [23:15]
- If Advent is “the beginning of the end,” what “revisions” remain in your discipleship right now? Choose one area to work on and set a small, clear next step before month’s end. [13:51]
- Where do you long to experience Jesus’ joy? What do you sense the Lord inviting you to do in that specific area—and how will you step into it with him this week? [27:39]

Sermon Clips

But what happens, Ezekiel has this vision in which, well, first of all, God is in the temple, in the sanctuary, in the Holy of Holies. And then God moves to the threshold, the entrance of the temple. And then eventually God moves away from the temple. And what that symbolizes is that God is actually taking His presence away from the temple, away from His people. That's what exile meant for the people, that God was no longer with them. [00:07:47] (35 seconds) #PresenceDeparted

But in the New Testament, we believe that God's spirit is no longer localized to a physical space like that. And I said, actually, in the New Testament, Jesus says that we are the temple of God. Because where God's spirit is, where God's spirit is within his people, that's where he is. And so we are the temple of God. [00:09:19] (27 seconds) #WeAreTheTemple

But the glory of the Lord doesn't appear there. Instead, the glory of the Lord appears to what? Shepherds. This is kind of a foreshadowing of what is going to unfold later on in the story of the Gospels, that actually God's glory comes to ordinary people, not just localized in a space anymore, but to ordinary people like you and me. Not just accessible through priests and prophets, but to everyone. [00:11:40] (42 seconds) #GloryToOrdinary

The good news is that God has come and he's establishing his reign as rightful God and king over this world again. I mean, he tried to do it in Israel. They rebelled. But they are really just a picture of humanity at large in rebellion against God. And I think kids kind of understand this kind of rebellious nature the best. I know I did when I was a kid. [00:17:20] (29 seconds) #GodReignsAgain

But that is kind of the nature of humanity is that we have this kind of rebelliousness. Our default mode is often to go against what God wants for us. And it's not until God catches us, scoops us up in His arms if we let Him and let Him be Lord over us and be our master again that we kind of find really what we're actually needing truly. And kids know that. They know that. They can't just keep running and running and running. They want to be caught at some deep level and brought home because we need, as kids, people to take care of us. [00:19:24] (46 seconds) #ScoopedUpByGod

``We know that. Our kids know that, right? We need people who care about us and who know better than us to take care of us even if there's that kind of rebellious nature within us. And that balance is the beautiful thing of parenting, right? Try to understand what your kids want and desire and yet also guide them along life. Well, that is a parable of humanity in its posture towards God. Christ the Lord has come to take His rightful place as the King over our lives. This is the gospel message. [00:20:09] (44 seconds) #ParentingParable

The Bible tells us that human beings need a leader. Human beings need a ruler over us that we're not simply made to just be self-governing. That when we just do things the way that we feel is right and what we want is right, that will often lead to bad consequences. And that has played itself out in so many ways in history and today. The Bible tells us, the good news tells us that God has returned in the form of a baby, in the person of Jesus Christ, and He wants to be our King if we let Him be. [00:20:54] (43 seconds) #JesusOurKing

Now, joy I define as something that is an abiding gladness, that's deeply rooted in us that is greater than just temporary pleasure. So, a deep abiding gladness that's rooted in something greater than temporary pleasure. So why does the angel say that this is good news and brings great joy? Well, because it's the end of exile for God's people and the return of His king. They're going to be liberated. They're going to be freed again. But it's about something deeper than just their freedom as well. [00:22:36] (44 seconds) #AbidingJoy

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