Advent Hope: Justice, Reconciliation, and Unbroken Joy

Devotional

Day 1: Advent: He came once and comes again

Advent is more than counting days to December 25; it is the steady hope that the One who arrived in humility will come again in glory. He stepped into our broken rooms and aching families once, and He will step back in to make all things new. You do not have to pretend the season is perfect; you are invited to trust the One who is. Let your longing become prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, finish what You began. Rest your eyes on Him and let His promise steady your heart [31:27].

Isaiah 11:1–2 — From Jesse’s cut-down family line, a fresh branch will spring up. The LORD’s Spirit will rest on Him—bringing wisdom and understanding, wise counsel and power, knowledge and a deep joy in honoring God.

Reflection: As you face one specific tension in your family this week, how could praying “Come, Lord Jesus” reshape your expectations for that gathering and your posture within it?

Day 2: The God who sees and sets things right

God does not shrug at betrayal, neglect, or scorn; He sees. Scripture insists that a day is coming when He arrives like a storm of holy fire to render a true verdict. For the proud, that sounds terrifying; for the humble who cling to the cross, it sounds like relief. Jesus absorbed the judgment that would crush us, so justice becomes part of our healing, not our undoing. Take courage: the Judge is also your Savior, fierce in holiness and steadfast in goodness [33:37].

Isaiah 66:15–16 — Watch: the LORD arrives in blazing fire, riding the whirlwind; His fierce rebuke brings the right verdict. By His word and His sword He will judge all people, and His justice will not fail.

Reflection: Where do you feel most wounded by injustice, and what would it look like to bring that exact wound under the shelter of Jesus’ cross in prayer today?

Day 3: Radical reconciliation: strangers become siblings in Christ

God promises more than polite tolerance; He promises reconciliation that turns enemies into family. He gathers people from every nation and language and, astonishingly, entrusts them with holy service. The labels that once divided—outsider, black sheep, failure—lose their grip in His presence. Let that promise inform your steps now: seek forgiveness where you have harmed, offer forgiveness where you have been harmed, and trust Him to finish the work. Begin the conversation, even if your words are small and halting [38:14].

Isaiah 66:18,21 — I am coming to gather all nations and every language; they will come and see My glory. From among them I will even choose servants—priests and ministers—sharing My holy work with those once far away.

Reflection: Who is the one person you least expect to share your table again, and what is one humble, concrete step toward peace you could attempt this week?

Day 4: Unbroken unity at the unending feast

Those rare moments when everything feels right—a song around the tree, a laugh that lingers—are glimpses of the future God is preparing. In His renewed creation, worship and joy will not be fragile; they will be the very air you breathe. Around Christ’s table, no one slips away early and no longing is left unanswered. Every communion now is a foretaste of that never-ending feast. Let that hope quiet your hurry and deepen your gratitude [41:07].

Isaiah 66:23 — From month to month and Sabbath to Sabbath, all people will come before Me in worship; the rhythm will not break, and My family will be gathered as one.

Reflection: At your next meal, how could you receive it as a small rehearsal for the eternal feast—through a specific prayer, a word of blessing, or an intentional conversation that honors Christ?

Day 5: Welcome home: courage for today, hope for tomorrow

Some chairs may be empty and some hearts may be heavy, yet Christ promises a home where nothing is missing and no one hides tears. Because He came once, He will come again to finish what He began and to make your joy whole. Until that day, ask for the peace that guards hearts and minds, and dare to practice His kingdom now through honest repentance and real forgiveness. Take one concrete step toward reconciliation and trust Him to complete what you cannot. Your future is secure, and your true home is on the way [42:39].

Isaiah 65:17–19 — Watch Me create new heavens and a new earth; the old sorrows will fade from memory. I will delight in My people, and the sound of weeping and distress will be no more.

Reflection: What specific act of repentance or forgiveness could you offer this week so that your present household becomes a clearer signpost of the home Christ is bringing?

Sermon Summary

Advent invites us to tell the truth about our lives and to lift our eyes. The holidays bring warmth—kids in the living room, laughter in the kitchen—but also the ache of fractured stories: the son who won’t come home, the sibling who won’t speak, the wound that still throbs. Advent is not merely a countdown to December 25; it is a countdown to the sure return of Jesus. He came once in humility; He will come again in glory. And when He does, what is crooked will be straightened, what is shattered will be made whole, and what we could never fix by willpower or wishful thinking will be healed.

Isaiah 66 gives a three-part vision: justice, reconciliation, and unity. Justice means God has seen every betrayal, every weaponized word, every hidden wound—and He will act. For those in Christ, justice is not a threat; it’s part of our healing, because Jesus has already stood in our place and absorbed the fire we could not endure. Reconciliation is more than tolerance. God promises to gather the nations, to turn enemies into family, to pull strangers into the inner circle—and even to elevate the outsiders to priestly nearness. That is not damage control; that is a new creation. And unity will not be a fragile holiday moment. It will be the air we breathe—an unending table where no chair is empty, no heart guarded, no joke barbed, no tear suppressed. The feast does not end.

So what do we do now, while we wait? We don’t use the promise of the future to avoid present repentance. We pray, “Thy kingdom come,” and we take the first step toward confession, forgiveness, and repair—even when our efforts are imperfect—trusting that what we can’t finish, He will. If you look at the coming days with more dread than delight, take heart: Jesus is not asking you to pretend. He is promising you a home. He came once, He is coming again, and He will bring you into a joy that can’t be lost, a family that cannot fracture, and a peace that passes understanding.

Key Takeaways

1. Justice will come—and heal. God’s justice is not divine indifference finally stirred; it is love refusing to leave wrongs unrighted. The cross means the judgment that would crush us has already landed on Jesus, transforming justice into medicine, not a threat, for those in Him. You do not have to minimize what happened or call evil “okay.” You can entrust it to the One who will set it right. [36:16]
2. Jesus sees wounds; He remembers. The Lord does not paper over your story because it’s Christmas. He names the boundary crossed, the betrayal endured, the scars you’ve carried into adulthood, and He promises not to forget. His remembrance is not resentment; it’s redemption—His pledge to weave what harmed you into a future that won’t harm you again. [35:46]
3. Advent promises radical reconciliation. God is not assembling a truce; He is creating a family. Isaiah’s vision stretches beyond politeness to priesthood—outsiders brought near, enemies given the same access, the same table, the same song. That means your most impossible relationship is not beyond the reach of the world to come—and its first fruits can begin even now. [38:14]
4. Unity becomes our everlasting atmosphere. Those rare moments when everything feels right—peace at the table, wonder before the manger—are previews, not peak memories. In Christ’s kingdom, unity won’t be managed; it will be our oxygen, unbreakable and joyous. You will not brace for the moment to end, because perfect love will not end. [40:35]
5. Practice repentance; welcome His kingdom now. Hope for tomorrow never excuses apathy today. Begin the hard conversation, confess what you can, release what you must, and forgive as you have been forgiven. Our actions are not the final fix, but they are real seeds—and the King who is coming will make the harvest sure. [39:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:26] - Announcements and Invitation to Worship
[04:27] - Invocation and Call to Worship
[07:07] - Confession of Sin
[13:03] - Absolution: Forgiven and Restored
[19:35] - Prayer for Unity and Hope
[25:25] - Prayer Before the Word
[28:57] - The Gift and Ache of Family
[31:27] - Advent: He Came and Will Come
[33:06] - Justice: God Will Make It Right
[34:17] - Not Safe, But Good
[38:14] - Radical Reconciliation for All Nations
[40:35] - Unity: The Air We Breathe
[42:03] - Welcome Home: Unbroken Joy
[46:34] - Lord’s Prayer, Communion, and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Isaiah 66

Observation questions

Isaiah 66 gives a three-part vision: justice, reconciliation, and unity. Which phrases or images in Isaiah 66 point to each of these three themes? [32:05]
The sermon quoted images of fire, chariots, and whirlwind as ways God’s coming is described. What do those images say about the nature of God’s justice in the passage? [32:38]
Isaiah 66 promises outsiders will be brought near—even made priests and Levites. What specific lines in the chapter show that reversal of status, and what does that reversal look like on the page? [36:57]
The chapter ends with a picture of unbroken worship and universal gathering. What concrete images does Isaiah use to describe the unity that will characterize the new creation? [40:35]

Interpretation questions

If “justice will come” and God has seen every betrayal and wound, how should believers interpret present suffering in light of that future justice? [36:16]
The claim is made that Jesus “stood in our place” so that divine judgment can be part of our healing rather than our final condemnation. What does that mean for how one should relate to fear of judgment and hope for restoration? [36:40]
The idea of “radical reconciliation” says enemies become family and outsiders are given priestly access. How does this reshape the church’s understanding of evangelism, hospitality, and who may serve at the Lord’s table? [38:14]

Application questions

God remembers wounds and promises to make them right. Name one personal hurt you carry into the holidays. Will you bring that hurt before God this week—by prayer, confession, or sharing it with a trusted sibling in Christ—and how will you do that? [35:46]
Reconciliation is promised, but repentance and repair begin now. Is there one fractured relationship you can take a concrete step to address (a call, a letter, an honest apology, or a request to talk)? What will that step be and when will you take it? [39:31]
If outsiders can be brought near and even made priests, who is the “other” in your life or neighborhood that you can intentionally include this season? Name one specific action (invite to a meal, offer a ride, share a simple gift, listen to their story) you will do this month. [38:14]
When the coming days feel more like dread than delight, which spiritual practice will you choose to lift your eyes toward God’s coming kingdom (for example: morning prayer, reading Isaiah 66, confession, joining a worship service)? Set a specific time this week to practice it. [41:37]
The promise that justice will heal invites trust. Which past injustice are you tempted to minimize or carry alone, and how will you practically entrust it to Christ this week (write it down and pray it, confess it in community, hand it over in a journal, etc.)? [36:16]
Unity will be the air we breathe in the new creation. What one household or small-group habit could you start to practice now that would cultivate that kind of unguarded love (e.g., a weekly shared meal, an honesty-check question at gatherings, a mutual confession time)? Commit to trying it for the next four weeks. [40:35]

Sermon Clips

You see, Advent just isn't a 25-day countdown in the month of December to the birth of Jesus that's part of it, but it's not the complete picture of what this season is about. Because just as much, and maybe even more, Advent is a countdown to the sure and the certain return of Jesus. That the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay, will come again with glory and power to raise the dead and recreate the world. Advent reminds us He came once. And He will come again. [00:31:28] (29 seconds) #AdventBeyondDecember

Because just as much, and maybe even more, Advent is a countdown to the sure and the certain return of Jesus. That the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay, will come again with glory and power to raise the dead and recreate the world. Advent reminds us He came once. And He will come again. And when He does, every fracture, every broken relationship, every family will be healed. [00:31:38] (26 seconds) #AdventToHisReturn

We live in a world we know where justice doesn't always show up. People get hurt, betrayed, ignored, neglected, discarded, discounted, and it doesn't always get fixed. Yet. Isaiah informs us something very important here. God sees injustice. And not only does He see, He will most certainly, without a doubt, one day act. Every sin will be accounted for. Mine, yours, everyone's. [00:33:06] (35 seconds) #JusticeWillCome

For some, justice sounds frightening, and it is. For others, justice sounds like relief, and it is. God does not shrug his shoulders at what happened to you. He doesn't tell you, it's the holidays, just smile and pretend like everything's okay. He's not dismissing those wounds. He knows the uncle who crossed a line. He knows the parent who weaponized their words. He knows the betrayal, the trauma, the scars you've had to carry into adulthood. [00:35:30] (41 seconds) #GodKnowsYourWounds

He knows the betrayal, the trauma, the scars you've had to carry into adulthood. And he says to you, I will not forget. I will make it right. And so we cling to Christ. We cling to the cross. Because Jesus stood in our place to bear all the judgment that would crush us. He absorbed the fire of Isaiah 66 so that you don't have to fear it. Justice is coming, and for those in Christ Jesus, justice is not an enemy we fear. It's part of our healing. [00:36:03] (40 seconds) #HeWillMakeItRight

``And he says to you, I will not forget. I will make it right. And so we cling to Christ. We cling to the cross. Because Jesus stood in our place to bear all the judgment that would crush us. He absorbed the fire of Isaiah 66 so that you don't have to fear it. Justice is coming, and for those in Christ Jesus, justice is not an enemy we fear. It's part of our healing. [00:36:10] (33 seconds) #ChristIsOurHealing

Christmas is not about pretending everything is perfect. Christmas is about trusting the one who is perfect, the one who stepped into our brokenness, who bore our sin and sorrow in his body, and who will one day, one day come again and say to us, welcome home. One day, you'll sit at the table where no one is missing. One day where no one is wounded, one day where no one is tense, no one's pretending, no one's hiding back tears. [00:41:59] (31 seconds) #WelcomeHomeJesus

One day, you'll sit at the table where no one is missing. One day where no one is wounded, one day where no one is tense, no one's pretending, no one's hiding back tears. One day, friends, you're going to be home fully, finally, forever in the presence of Christ. And there, your joy will be unbroken. Your peace will be unbroken. Your family, your true family will be unbroken because Jesus came once and he is coming again. And when he comes, he's bringing you home. [00:42:18] (34 seconds) #ForeverHomeInChrist

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How does divine justice comfort wounded believers?

What makes Isaiah’s reconciliation vision so radically inclusive?

Why is Advent about both comings of Christ?