December 22, 2025 • 26 mins
What if the thing you “protect” most is silently telling the world what you worship? We explore how Advent pressure exposes our true priorities and why the Magi’s long, ordinary journey reframes generosity as a truthful act of worship—not a performance. Outsiders notice the star and move; insiders cling to familiarity; Herod hears the same news and tightens his grip. That split-screen reveals a deeper diagnosis: fear imitates worship without surrender, while trust begins with attention and moves us toward joyful obedience.
We walk through Matthew 2 and slow down at a crucial detail: the Magi bow before they give. Their gifts—gold for kingship, frankincense for divinity, myrrh for suffering—are not payments to earn favor but confessions of belief. We also correct the nostalgic timeline: no manger scene here, but a home and a toddler. The wonder has cooled, the dust has settled, and still they kneel. Real worship often lives there, in patient faithfulness that persists when the spotlight fades.
From there, we connect Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 to everyday choices: where your treasure is, your heart will follow. Earthly security feels solid because it is visible and controllable, yet that very control makes it fragile. Heavenly treasure requires trust, which is why it endures. If holding tight feels safer, generosity will always look like risk. If God is our security, open hands become wise. We offer a practical step to reorient your life: name one place where fear is steering your finances and practice quiet, intentional generosity there—receiving before responding, letting giving reshape your heart rather than prove your devotion.
If this conversation helps you notice, name, and reorder what you truly treasure, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What’s the one area you’ll open your hands this week?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Well, it is a good morning.
I am happy to see you all heretoday.
We are in this series to ouronline audience.
I'm Stephen Fief, lead pastor ofMadison Church.
And as we come to our final weekhere, Advent as a church
community, I want to begin bystating something both simple
and true.
(00:21):
It's something that applies toevery single one of us, whether
you consider yourself deeplyreligious or not sure what you
believe.
You're not sure where you're attoday.
But everyone worships something.
Let that sink in for a second.
I believe this is true thateveryone worships something.
(00:45):
The question isn't if weworship, but what we're
worshiping and what is shapingour attention, our trust, and
our lives.
Worship, I would argue, is whatwe organize our lives around.
And whatever we worship is whatwe are going to give our energy
(01:08):
to.
It's what we protect, it's whatwe prioritize, and it's what we
instinctively move toward whenthings feel uncertain.
That's why Advent is such arevealing season.
You see, Advent slows us downjust enough.
Advent presses us hard enough toexpose what actually matters to
(01:32):
us.
Perhaps January throughNovember, we can fake it until
we make it.
But December, it all comes outbecause of all of the pressure
around us.
You see, pressure doesn't createour values, but rather it makes
them clear and obvious to us.
So consider this this morning.
(01:55):
What does the way you live, theway you spend, what you protect,
and what you pursue reveal aboutwhat you love the most?
Not what we say we value, notwhat we hope is true, but what
(02:17):
actually is your life pointingto today?
Over the past few weeks, we'vebeen talking about how
generosity started with God,God's self-giving love, and how
that takes shape in us as wemove from having good
intentions.
If you're here last week and youheard Kyle's, what was a
fantastic message?
If you didn't hear it, go backand look it up on YouTube.
(02:40):
But how we go from intention tointentional lives that make
space for what truly matters.
And today is the final week ofthis really brief Advent series.
We arrive to the heart of itall.
It is our response, where we'regoing to look at what we
treasure, because what wetreasure always shows up in what
(03:00):
we worship.
And as we'll see in the story ofthe Magi, generosity isn't about
proving our devotion.
Generosity isn't about provingsomething, but rather it's about
expressing something within us,what we value.
If we're going to understandwhat generosity and worship, and
(03:20):
the two are linked together,inseparable, what if they
actually look like biblicallyspeaking, we have to begin with
the people who show up mostoften in front lawn nativity
scenes, or on Christmas cardpostcards you get in the mail
the wise men.
So I'd like to read from Matthew2 this morning, where it says,
(03:43):
Jesus was born in Bethlehem ofJudea during the reign of King
Herod.
And about that time, some wisemen from eastern lands arrived
in Jerusalem, asking, where isthe newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star as it rose, andwe have come to worship him.
(04:03):
I want to talk a little bitabout these wise men or the magi
as they're known as.
They're not religious insiders,they're not Jewish, they are not
part of Israel's covenant storythe way that the priests and
teachers of the law were.
They were actually scholars fromthe East, way East.
Pagan astrologers, observers ofthe natural world, interpreters
(04:27):
of signs and wonders, somethingforbidden under the Old
Testament law.
In other words, they werecomplete outsiders.
I mean, there were outsiders,and then there were these guys.
They're the outsiders of theoutside world.
And yet they noticed somethingthat everyone on the inside had
missed.
Matthew shows us, as often dothe writers of the New
(04:50):
Testament, Mark, Luke, and John,that people who are far from God
are often the ones most aware ofwhat God is doing and drawn to
Him.
At this point in the story, theMagi, they're not great examples
or models of generosity of anysort.
They haven't given anything toanyone, but they are attentive.
(05:12):
That's the part I want to focuson.
Is that they are attentive.
Somewhere in their watching andwondering of the universe and
the stars and the signs and thewonders, they're looking,
they're seeking something outthere, and they become convinced
that yes, something significantis happening.
A king has been born.
(05:34):
History is bending in a newdirection.
And that changed everything forthem.
They leave their home, what wasfamiliar, and they committed to
a long and uncertain journeywithout any guarantees or any
control.
They did not leave because theywere already generous people
(05:58):
looking to spend money orwhatever.
They left because somethingcaught their attention.
Something was life shifting andchanging for them.
And that is where worshipbegins.
Worship doesn't begin by giving,it begins with noticing when
something becomes worthy of ourtrust, our movement, and our
(06:21):
lives.
Matthew continues the story withone short but telling line.
He says, King Herod was deeplydisturbed when he heard this, as
was everyone in Jerusalem.
So let's contrast the differencehere in responses to the same
(06:41):
exact news.
A king is born.
The Magi hear about it and theymove toward worship.
Herod hears about the birth ofthe king and he feels
threatened.
Same news, same news, differentresponses.
And don't be mistaken, Herod'sdisturbance isn't about
confusion.
He's not confused, he's scared.
(07:04):
It's fear.
He is the king, and his power isgranted to him by Rome, not
secured by God.
And as the king of this area,he's very familiar with
scripture and prophecies, andthat the Jewish people believed
that their king, their messiah,was coming.
(07:26):
Herod's position depends oncontrol, on image, and force.
And so the idea that anotherking is coming up within his
area, it doesn't inspirecuriosity or hope for him.
It triggers anxiety.
He's worried.
And Matthew tells us it wasn'tjust Herod.
When this news is going around,all of Jerusalem is disturbed
(07:48):
with him.
The city is unsettled, the cityis on edge.
Because when your security isbuilt on the way things
currently work, any disruptionfeels dangerous.
And when you have a king likeHerod who can issue a decree to
have everyone under the age oftwo killed, you want that guy to
stay happy and calm.
(08:10):
Because him having a bad day canbe life-changing for you.
Herod calls together religiousleaders, the priests, the
teachers of the law, these arescribes and actually Sadducees.
Okay, Sadducees and scribes, hegets them together and he says,
You guys know the scriptures,you know the prophecies, you
(08:31):
know exactly where the Messiahis supposed to be born.
And they did.
They absolutely knew, accordingto Micah, that he was going to
be born in Bethlehem.
And yet they miss it.
The people who knew thescriptures, who knew the
prophecies, who knew all ofthis, they miss Jesus.
And yet, Herod calls the Magiback, and not because he wants
(08:53):
to worship.
Says, these guys are not givingme the information I need that I
want.
So get the Magi in here.
Because they've traveled a longdistance to get here.
They got a little bit ways to gohere.
And he presents himself then, ifyou read the story line by line,
as interested and humble.
He says, I want to worship.
So where is he at?
(09:14):
But underneath all of thatfacade, it's that fear, it's
that self-preservation.
You see, Herod is beingdeceptive.
His goal isn't devotion, it'scontrol.
And this is what fear often doesin our own lives.
It imitates worship withoutsurrender.
(09:37):
It imitates worship withoutsurrender.
Fear uses religious languagewithout spiritual openness.
Herod doesn't want to bow beforethe king.
(10:08):
This is a story about what wefear losing.
Herod fears losing power.
Jerusalem fears disruption intheir own private lives.
The religious leaders fear thecost of change.
What will it mean if God'sMessiah is really here?
And the Magi leave them allbehind.
(10:30):
The Magi continue on theirjourney.
They walk away from power, theywalk away from fear, they walk
away from manipulation.
And as they do, they are onceagain guided by the same light
that brought them to this point.
And as they continue on theirjourney, and this is a long
journey to go from the east toget to Jerusalem.
And now, as we head toBethlehem, it's a long journey.
(10:54):
And they're not led to a palace.
They're not led to a place ofinfluence, but to an ordinary
home.
And when they realize they'vearrived, we read that they're
filled with joy.
Joy.
Not relief.
(11:16):
We weren't wrong.
Think about that.
And not validation.
Yes, we were right.
Send word back to those guys whodidn't believe, who doubted.
But rather, just joy.
This wasn't about being right,it wasn't about being wrong.
They found what they werelooking for, and that was better
than anything else in the world.
(11:39):
And let's read what happensnext.
They entered the house and theysaw the child with his mother
Mary, and they bowed down andworshiped him.
Then they opened their treasurechests and gave him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
When they entered the house, theorder of events is critical.
(12:02):
Before they give anything,before they present anything,
before they turn anything over,before they ever give, they bow
down and they worship.
And only then did they opentheir treasure.
And I think that this is wherewe often misunderstand the magi
in the story.
(12:22):
Their gifts are not gesturesmeant to earn favor.
It wasn't like, oh man, I hopeGod likes me.
I hope I have favor with God.
It wasn't an extravagant attemptto prove that we're devoted,
we're all in, don't leave usbehind.
But their gifts wereintentional, their gifts were
(12:43):
aligned, and their gifts weretruthful.
Here's what those gifts meant.
The gold acknowledged kingship.
So when they present gold tothis child, they're
acknowledging you are royalty.
You are king.
The frankincense acknowledgesdivinity.
You are divine.
(13:05):
Set apart.
And the myrrh acknowledgessuffering.
Each of their gifts namedsomething that they believed
about Jesus.
Remember, they come from theeast.
They brought these things withthem.
So who did they expect to findat the end of the road, at the
end of their journey?
The divine king who wouldsuffer.
(13:28):
That's what they brought.
That's who they expected tofind, and that's exactly who
they found.
And that reveals the heart ofChristian generosity.
That generosity does not createworship, but rather generosity
reveals what or who we worship.
What we give does not establishwhat we believe, it expresses
(13:53):
what we already hold near anddear to our hearts.
It's also important here if wewant to geek out on a little
theology here.
I want to kind of correct thenativity scene that you drive by
every day, or maybe perhaps youhave it in your front yard, but
the scene does not happen thenight Jesus is born.
Okay, a couple facts here.
It would have taken them yearsto get there, and we know that
(14:15):
they were started to see thesign when Jesus was born.
So now, depending how long ittook, maybe a year or two, they
finally get to a house, not amanger.
They get to a house, and so thismakes Jesus probably two years
old, one, two years old at thispoint.
So they come in, they see thetoddler, they bow down and
worship, and then they give thistoddler a bunch of these gifts.
(14:39):
Okay, it's wild, right?
And so maybe just a littlecorrection of theology here.
They weren't there that night.
Another important thing to noteis that King Herod dies in the
year four BC.
4 BC.
So if King Herod is out lookingfor Jesus, that means Jesus was
(14:59):
born before 4 BC.
Okay?
So if Jesus is one or two yearsold and Herod dies in the year
four, but he issues a decree tokill everyone under the age of
two, that likely means Jesus wasborn around 6 BC.
And our calendars are just wrongtoday.
And sorry if that bums you out,but I wanted to go into that
(15:21):
real quick and just smooth allof that out for us, okay?
But more importantly thansmoothing out maybe some
misunderstanding of the story, Iwant to point out that the
wonder had faded.
They didn't show up to themanger.
And all of this is brand new andsparkly and cool and on the cusp
of something new.
(15:41):
They walk up to a toddler who'swearing a diaper.
It's dirty, it's smelly, it'snot impressive.
The dust has settled, so tospeak, and that's where the magi
begin.
That's where the magi arrive.
That is who they worship.
Not the glow of a manger, butordinary faithfulness on a long
(16:02):
journey.
And Matthew is showing us thatreal worship isn't immediate.
Real worship isn't alwaysemotional.
Real worship is often asustained worship, a patient
worship, a costly worship.
Now, fast forward to where weare today.
(16:23):
What does this mean for all ofus?
I'd make the argument a fewthings here.
The first thing is that worshipbegins with attention before it
ever becomes action.
Where's our attention at?
What are we focused on?
The Magi do not start by giving,they begin by noticing.
They respond faithfully to thelight that they have been given.
(16:47):
And their lives start toreorient around what they
believe is worthy.
The second thing I think we takefrom the story is that fear
resists worship by clinging tocontrol.
Herod and Jerusalem hear thesame news as the Magi, but
instead of moving toward Jesus,they protect what they already
have.
(17:08):
Fear freezes the movement.
Scarcity narrows the vision.
And when security is threatened,worship gives way to
self-preservation.
The third thing is thatgenerosity reveals allegiance.
It doesn't create it.
You can't buy allegiance, butwhat we give shows what we
(17:28):
prioritize.
The Magi's gift do not makeJesus king.
They didn't give him gold,therefore, you are a king.
Rather, it revealed with whothey already believed Jesus was.
Their giving was nottransactional, it was not
strategic, it is truthful.
Their resources follow theirworship.
(17:54):
In Matthew 6, 19 through 21,reading from Eugene Peterson's
paraphrase, the message, Jesussays, don't hoard treasure down
here where it gets eaten bymoths and corroded by rust, or
worse, stolen by burglars.
Stockpile treasure in heaven,where it is safe from moth and
rust and burglars.
It's obvious, isn't it?
(18:15):
The place where your treasure isis the place you will most want
to be, and end up being.
Now this isn't a threat, andit's not manipulation, but it is
a diagnosis.
Jesus is revealing somethingabout the human heart, and that
is our heart will followwhatever we trust the most.
(18:40):
Which leads us to the centralchallenge of this passage.
Do I believe I'm safer holdingon or safer opening my hands to
God?
As we read this passage fromJesus in Matthew 6, he's not
condemning possessions orfinances.
(19:02):
He's not condemning those thingsin and of themselves, but he's
exposing where we place oursense of security.
That's what this is about.
This is a passage about theheart.
An earthly treasure, earthlypossessions, they feel safe
because they're visible, they'remeasurable, and they're
controllable.
But all three of those thingsmake them fragile.
(19:22):
It can be lost, it can bestolen, it can be inflated, it
can be rendered useless.
Heavenly treasures by contrast.
Well, those require trust.
Oftentimes they're unseen.
They can't be controlled,they're only received.
And that's why Jesus presses thequestion of the heart.
(19:44):
Where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be.
What we believe about securityinevitably shapes how we live,
how we spend, and yes, how wegive.
If we believe We are saferholding on to what we have, then
generosity will always feel likean unnecessary risk.
(20:06):
But if we believe that God isour true security, then opening
our hands becomes an act ofwisdom, not fear, a response of
worship.
And so as a result of thisseries, the three weeks leading
into today, as we as we come tothe close, I would ask that you
identify one place where fearhas been driving your financial
(20:31):
decisions and intentionallypractice generosity there.
Not impulsively, not publicly,but prayerfully, deliberately,
and as an act of worship.
Paul tells us that God loves acheerful giver, and he's not
(20:52):
saying to do so out of thisemotional enthusiasm.
Yes, I caught the generosity bugand I'm so happy to do it.
But rather, he says God loves acheerful giver because a
cheerful giver is someone whoreflects trust in God rather
than fear over losing something.
And this isn't about reacting topressure.
(21:12):
It isn't about proving yourfaith, but it is about choosing
one specific place to live asthough God is truly your
security.
Generosity becomes formativewhen it is intentional.
When we open our hands, notbecause it's easy, but because
we believe God will be faithful.
(21:33):
And in that moment, giving stopsbeing what's leaving my account
and becomes what's reshaping myheart.
Again, not to earn favor, not toprove I'm devoted, but because,
like the Magi, you have foundsomething worthy of your
(21:55):
worship.
And so as we come to the end, Iwant to remind you of how we
started.
Some of the first words I said afew weeks ago.
This series isn't about gettingsomething from you.
The series has always been foryou, doing something for you,
because biblical generosity isabout spiritual formation.
(22:19):
Spiritual formation.
From the beginning, we've beentracing a demanding but
straightforward truth thatgenerosity is not a side
practice to the Christian.
It is one of the primary waysthat God shapes our hearts,
loosens our grip on fear, andteaches us to trust in Him.
We began the same way Scripturebegins with God.
(22:40):
Before anything is ever asked ofus, God gives Himself.
Love gave, and everything flowsfrom that gift.
And we moved from intention,well, yeah, I would like to, to
intentionality.
Yes, I will.
Recognizing that generositydoesn't happen by accident, but
(23:00):
rather space has to be made.
Priorities must be reordered,and trust has to be practiced.
And today we've seen where allleads us, not to pressure, but
to clarity.
I love this quote by EugenePeterson.
He said, spiritual maturityisn't measured by how much we
(23:22):
know, but how quickly we respondin obedience.
And I felt like it was the bestquote to answer into this talk
as we get to compare religiousSadducees and scribes and
political leaders like KingHerod and outsiders like the
Magi.
And on paper, we would say,well, yeah, those Sadducees,
(23:43):
they got the degrees, they go tochurch all the time.
Like, of course they're the onesclosest to God.
But this quote, this idea, whichI believe is firmly biblical,
tells us no, is actually themagi.
The magi were spirituallymature.
Even though they were outsiders,they were spiritually mature in
the sense that they werefollowing Jesus in whatever way,
(24:06):
shape, or form he appeared tothem.
And they were there.
And so as we move into communionnow, I want you to reflect on
yourself.
That your spiritual maturity,that your faith, it isn't strong
(24:26):
or great because of what youknow, and it's not weak because
of what you don't know.
But rather, spiritual maturityis how quickly will you respond
to what God is saying to you?
How quickly will you respond towhere you feel God is leading
you next?
And that's why we do impartcommunion every single week.
(24:47):
Because before we rush off tothe next thing, and it's the
Sunday before Christmas, I knowthere's gifts that need to be
bought still, and dinner plansthat need to be made.
But before we rush off to thenext thing, we take a moment and
enter into communion, whichreminds us that before we ever
give anything, we receive.
(25:09):
We come with open hands, not toprove devotion, not to earn
favor with God, but to rememberthe gift that started it all.
Jesus of Nazareth, born inBethlehem, to Mary.
The bread and cup, they tell thesame story we've been tracing
this advent.
(25:30):
Love gave.
(25:53):
Not just today, not just thislast week, but this season.
Where is he inviting you totrust him more deeply?
Where is he challenging you toloosen your grip?
Where do you feel called toreorder what you truly treasure?
(26:13):
Communion doesn't rush us intoan action, but it does invite us
into a quiet honesty, aworshipful commitment to live
differently because of the gracewe have been given.
So may we, this Madison Churchcommunity, be a people who
receive before they respond, whotrust before we control, and who
(26:40):
opens our hands, not out offear, but out of worship.
Love gave, and because of that,we are free to provide, not earn
God's love because we arealready living in it.
Well, it is a good morning.
I am happy to see you all heretoday.
We are in this series to ouronline audience.
I'm Stephen Fief, lead pastor ofMadison Church.
And as we come to our final weekhere, Advent as a church
community, I want to begin bystating something both simple
and true.
(00:21):
It's something that applies toevery single one of us, whether
you consider yourself deeplyreligious or not sure what you
believe.
You're not sure where you're attoday.
But everyone worships something.
Let that sink in for a second.
I believe this is true thateveryone worships something.
(00:45):
The question isn't if weworship, but what we're
worshiping and what is shapingour attention, our trust, and
our lives.
Worship, I would argue, is whatwe organize our lives around.
And whatever we worship is whatwe are going to give our energy
(01:08):
to.
It's what we protect, it's whatwe prioritize, and it's what we
instinctively move toward whenthings feel uncertain.
That's why Advent is such arevealing season.
You see, Advent slows us downjust enough.
Advent presses us hard enough toexpose what actually matters to
(01:32):
us.
Perhaps January throughNovember, we can fake it until
we make it.
But December, it all comes outbecause of all of the pressure
around us.
You see, pressure doesn't createour values, but rather it makes
them clear and obvious to us.
So consider this this morning.
(01:55):
What does the way you live, theway you spend, what you protect,
and what you pursue reveal aboutwhat you love the most?
Not what we say we value, notwhat we hope is true, but what
(02:17):
actually is your life pointingto today?
Over the past few weeks, we'vebeen talking about how
generosity started with God,God's self-giving love, and how
that takes shape in us as wemove from having good
intentions.
If you're here last week and youheard Kyle's, what was a
fantastic message?
If you didn't hear it, go backand look it up on YouTube.
(02:40):
But how we go from intention tointentional lives that make
space for what truly matters.
And today is the final week ofthis really brief Advent series.
We arrive to the heart of itall.
It is our response, where we'regoing to look at what we
treasure, because what wetreasure always shows up in what
(03:00):
we worship.
And as we'll see in the story ofthe Magi, generosity isn't about
proving our devotion.
Generosity isn't about provingsomething, but rather it's about
expressing something within us,what we value.
If we're going to understandwhat generosity and worship, and
(03:20):
the two are linked together,inseparable, what if they
actually look like biblicallyspeaking, we have to begin with
the people who show up mostoften in front lawn nativity
scenes, or on Christmas cardpostcards you get in the mail
the wise men.
So I'd like to read from Matthew2 this morning, where it says,
(03:43):
Jesus was born in Bethlehem ofJudea during the reign of King
Herod.
And about that time, some wisemen from eastern lands arrived
in Jerusalem, asking, where isthe newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star as it rose, andwe have come to worship him.
(04:03):
I want to talk a little bitabout these wise men or the magi
as they're known as.
They're not religious insiders,they're not Jewish, they are not
part of Israel's covenant storythe way that the priests and
teachers of the law were.
They were actually scholars fromthe East, way East.
Pagan astrologers, observers ofthe natural world, interpreters
(04:27):
of signs and wonders, somethingforbidden under the Old
Testament law.
In other words, they werecomplete outsiders.
I mean, there were outsiders,and then there were these guys.
They're the outsiders of theoutside world.
And yet they noticed somethingthat everyone on the inside had
missed.
Matthew shows us, as often dothe writers of the New
(04:50):
Testament, Mark, Luke, and John,that people who are far from God
are often the ones most aware ofwhat God is doing and drawn to
Him.
At this point in the story, theMagi, they're not great examples
or models of generosity of anysort.
They haven't given anything toanyone, but they are attentive.
(05:12):
That's the part I want to focuson.
Is that they are attentive.
Somewhere in their watching andwondering of the universe and
the stars and the signs and thewonders, they're looking,
they're seeking something outthere, and they become convinced
that yes, something significantis happening.
A king has been born.
(05:34):
History is bending in a newdirection.
And that changed everything forthem.
They leave their home, what wasfamiliar, and they committed to
a long and uncertain journeywithout any guarantees or any
control.
They did not leave because theywere already generous people
(05:58):
looking to spend money orwhatever.
They left because somethingcaught their attention.
Something was life shifting andchanging for them.
And that is where worshipbegins.
Worship doesn't begin by giving,it begins with noticing when
something becomes worthy of ourtrust, our movement, and our
(06:21):
lives.
Matthew continues the story withone short but telling line.
He says, King Herod was deeplydisturbed when he heard this, as
was everyone in Jerusalem.
So let's contrast the differencehere in responses to the same
(06:41):
exact news.
A king is born.
The Magi hear about it and theymove toward worship.
Herod hears about the birth ofthe king and he feels
threatened.
Same news, same news, differentresponses.
And don't be mistaken, Herod'sdisturbance isn't about
confusion.
He's not confused, he's scared.
(07:04):
It's fear.
He is the king, and his power isgranted to him by Rome, not
secured by God.
And as the king of this area,he's very familiar with
scripture and prophecies, andthat the Jewish people believed
that their king, their messiah,was coming.
(07:26):
Herod's position depends oncontrol, on image, and force.
And so the idea that anotherking is coming up within his
area, it doesn't inspirecuriosity or hope for him.
It triggers anxiety.
He's worried.
And Matthew tells us it wasn'tjust Herod.
When this news is going around,all of Jerusalem is disturbed
(07:48):
with him.
The city is unsettled, the cityis on edge.
Because when your security isbuilt on the way things
currently work, any disruptionfeels dangerous.
And when you have a king likeHerod who can issue a decree to
have everyone under the age oftwo killed, you want that guy to
stay happy and calm.
(08:10):
Because him having a bad day canbe life-changing for you.
Herod calls together religiousleaders, the priests, the
teachers of the law, these arescribes and actually Sadducees.
Okay, Sadducees and scribes, hegets them together and he says,
You guys know the scriptures,you know the prophecies, you
(08:31):
know exactly where the Messiahis supposed to be born.
And they did.
They absolutely knew, accordingto Micah, that he was going to
be born in Bethlehem.
And yet they miss it.
The people who knew thescriptures, who knew the
prophecies, who knew all ofthis, they miss Jesus.
And yet, Herod calls the Magiback, and not because he wants
(08:53):
to worship.
Says, these guys are not givingme the information I need that I
want.
So get the Magi in here.
Because they've traveled a longdistance to get here.
They got a little bit ways to gohere.
And he presents himself then, ifyou read the story line by line,
as interested and humble.
He says, I want to worship.
So where is he at?
(09:14):
But underneath all of thatfacade, it's that fear, it's
that self-preservation.
You see, Herod is beingdeceptive.
His goal isn't devotion, it'scontrol.
And this is what fear often doesin our own lives.
It imitates worship withoutsurrender.
(09:37):
It imitates worship withoutsurrender.
Fear uses religious languagewithout spiritual openness.
Herod doesn't want to bow beforethe king.
(10:08):
This is a story about what wefear losing.
Herod fears losing power.
Jerusalem fears disruption intheir own private lives.
The religious leaders fear thecost of change.
What will it mean if God'sMessiah is really here?
And the Magi leave them allbehind.
(10:30):
The Magi continue on theirjourney.
They walk away from power, theywalk away from fear, they walk
away from manipulation.
And as they do, they are onceagain guided by the same light
that brought them to this point.
And as they continue on theirjourney, and this is a long
journey to go from the east toget to Jerusalem.
And now, as we head toBethlehem, it's a long journey.
(10:54):
And they're not led to a palace.
They're not led to a place ofinfluence, but to an ordinary
home.
And when they realize they'vearrived, we read that they're
filled with joy.
Joy.
Not relief.
(11:16):
We weren't wrong.
Think about that.
And not validation.
Yes, we were right.
Send word back to those guys whodidn't believe, who doubted.
But rather, just joy.
This wasn't about being right,it wasn't about being wrong.
They found what they werelooking for, and that was better
than anything else in the world.
(11:39):
And let's read what happensnext.
They entered the house and theysaw the child with his mother
Mary, and they bowed down andworshiped him.
Then they opened their treasurechests and gave him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
When they entered the house, theorder of events is critical.
(12:02):
Before they give anything,before they present anything,
before they turn anything over,before they ever give, they bow
down and they worship.
And only then did they opentheir treasure.
And I think that this is wherewe often misunderstand the magi
in the story.
(12:22):
Their gifts are not gesturesmeant to earn favor.
It wasn't like, oh man, I hopeGod likes me.
I hope I have favor with God.
It wasn't an extravagant attemptto prove that we're devoted,
we're all in, don't leave usbehind.
But their gifts wereintentional, their gifts were
(12:43):
aligned, and their gifts weretruthful.
Here's what those gifts meant.
The gold acknowledged kingship.
So when they present gold tothis child, they're
acknowledging you are royalty.
You are king.
The frankincense acknowledgesdivinity.
You are divine.
(13:05):
Set apart.
And the myrrh acknowledgessuffering.
Each of their gifts namedsomething that they believed
about Jesus.
Remember, they come from theeast.
They brought these things withthem.
So who did they expect to findat the end of the road, at the
end of their journey?
The divine king who wouldsuffer.
(13:28):
That's what they brought.
That's who they expected tofind, and that's exactly who
they found.
And that reveals the heart ofChristian generosity.
That generosity does not createworship, but rather generosity
reveals what or who we worship.
What we give does not establishwhat we believe, it expresses
(13:53):
what we already hold near anddear to our hearts.
It's also important here if wewant to geek out on a little
theology here.
I want to kind of correct thenativity scene that you drive by
every day, or maybe perhaps youhave it in your front yard, but
the scene does not happen thenight Jesus is born.
Okay, a couple facts here.
It would have taken them yearsto get there, and we know that
(14:15):
they were started to see thesign when Jesus was born.
So now, depending how long ittook, maybe a year or two, they
finally get to a house, not amanger.
They get to a house, and so thismakes Jesus probably two years
old, one, two years old at thispoint.
So they come in, they see thetoddler, they bow down and
worship, and then they give thistoddler a bunch of these gifts.
(14:39):
Okay, it's wild, right?
And so maybe just a littlecorrection of theology here.
They weren't there that night.
Another important thing to noteis that King Herod dies in the
year four BC.
4 BC.
So if King Herod is out lookingfor Jesus, that means Jesus was
(14:59):
born before 4 BC.
Okay?
So if Jesus is one or two yearsold and Herod dies in the year
four, but he issues a decree tokill everyone under the age of
two, that likely means Jesus wasborn around 6 BC.
And our calendars are just wrongtoday.
And sorry if that bums you out,but I wanted to go into that
(15:21):
real quick and just smooth allof that out for us, okay?
But more importantly thansmoothing out maybe some
misunderstanding of the story, Iwant to point out that the
wonder had faded.
They didn't show up to themanger.
And all of this is brand new andsparkly and cool and on the cusp
of something new.
(15:41):
They walk up to a toddler who'swearing a diaper.
It's dirty, it's smelly, it'snot impressive.
The dust has settled, so tospeak, and that's where the magi
begin.
That's where the magi arrive.
That is who they worship.
Not the glow of a manger, butordinary faithfulness on a long
(16:02):
journey.
And Matthew is showing us thatreal worship isn't immediate.
Real worship isn't alwaysemotional.
Real worship is often asustained worship, a patient
worship, a costly worship.
Now, fast forward to where weare today.
(16:23):
What does this mean for all ofus?
I'd make the argument a fewthings here.
The first thing is that worshipbegins with attention before it
ever becomes action.
Where's our attention at?
What are we focused on?
The Magi do not start by giving,they begin by noticing.
They respond faithfully to thelight that they have been given.
(16:47):
And their lives start toreorient around what they
believe is worthy.
The second thing I think we takefrom the story is that fear
resists worship by clinging tocontrol.
Herod and Jerusalem hear thesame news as the Magi, but
instead of moving toward Jesus,they protect what they already
have.
(17:08):
Fear freezes the movement.
Scarcity narrows the vision.
And when security is threatened,worship gives way to
self-preservation.
The third thing is thatgenerosity reveals allegiance.
It doesn't create it.
You can't buy allegiance, butwhat we give shows what we
(17:28):
prioritize.
The Magi's gift do not makeJesus king.
They didn't give him gold,therefore, you are a king.
Rather, it revealed with whothey already believed Jesus was.
Their giving was nottransactional, it was not
strategic, it is truthful.
Their resources follow theirworship.
(17:54):
In Matthew 6, 19 through 21,reading from Eugene Peterson's
paraphrase, the message, Jesussays, don't hoard treasure down
here where it gets eaten bymoths and corroded by rust, or
worse, stolen by burglars.
Stockpile treasure in heaven,where it is safe from moth and
rust and burglars.
It's obvious, isn't it?
(18:15):
The place where your treasure isis the place you will most want
to be, and end up being.
Now this isn't a threat, andit's not manipulation, but it is
a diagnosis.
Jesus is revealing somethingabout the human heart, and that
is our heart will followwhatever we trust the most.
(18:40):
Which leads us to the centralchallenge of this passage.
Do I believe I'm safer holdingon or safer opening my hands to
God?
As we read this passage fromJesus in Matthew 6, he's not
condemning possessions orfinances.
(19:02):
He's not condemning those thingsin and of themselves, but he's
exposing where we place oursense of security.
That's what this is about.
This is a passage about theheart.
An earthly treasure, earthlypossessions, they feel safe
because they're visible, they'remeasurable, and they're
controllable.
But all three of those thingsmake them fragile.
(19:22):
It can be lost, it can bestolen, it can be inflated, it
can be rendered useless.
Heavenly treasures by contrast.
Well, those require trust.
Oftentimes they're unseen.
They can't be controlled,they're only received.
And that's why Jesus presses thequestion of the heart.
(19:44):
Where your treasure is, thereyour heart will be.
What we believe about securityinevitably shapes how we live,
how we spend, and yes, how wegive.
If we believe We are saferholding on to what we have, then
generosity will always feel likean unnecessary risk.
(20:06):
But if we believe that God isour true security, then opening
our hands becomes an act ofwisdom, not fear, a response of
worship.
And so as a result of thisseries, the three weeks leading
into today, as we as we come tothe close, I would ask that you
identify one place where fearhas been driving your financial
(20:31):
decisions and intentionallypractice generosity there.
Not impulsively, not publicly,but prayerfully, deliberately,
and as an act of worship.
Paul tells us that God loves acheerful giver, and he's not
(20:52):
saying to do so out of thisemotional enthusiasm.
Yes, I caught the generosity bugand I'm so happy to do it.
But rather, he says God loves acheerful giver because a
cheerful giver is someone whoreflects trust in God rather
than fear over losing something.
And this isn't about reacting topressure.
(21:12):
It isn't about proving yourfaith, but it is about choosing
one specific place to live asthough God is truly your
security.
Generosity becomes formativewhen it is intentional.
When we open our hands, notbecause it's easy, but because
we believe God will be faithful.
(21:33):
And in that moment, giving stopsbeing what's leaving my account
and becomes what's reshaping myheart.
Again, not to earn favor, not toprove I'm devoted, but because,
like the Magi, you have foundsomething worthy of your
(21:55):
worship.
And so as we come to the end, Iwant to remind you of how we
started.
Some of the first words I said afew weeks ago.
This series isn't about gettingsomething from you.
The series has always been foryou, doing something for you,
because biblical generosity isabout spiritual formation.
(22:19):
Spiritual formation.
From the beginning, we've beentracing a demanding but
straightforward truth thatgenerosity is not a side
practice to the Christian.
It is one of the primary waysthat God shapes our hearts,
loosens our grip on fear, andteaches us to trust in Him.
We began the same way Scripturebegins with God.
(22:40):
Before anything is ever asked ofus, God gives Himself.
Love gave, and everything flowsfrom that gift.
And we moved from intention,well, yeah, I would like to, to
intentionality.
Yes, I will.
Recognizing that generositydoesn't happen by accident, but
(23:00):
rather space has to be made.
Priorities must be reordered,and trust has to be practiced.
And today we've seen where allleads us, not to pressure, but
to clarity.
I love this quote by EugenePeterson.
He said, spiritual maturityisn't measured by how much we
(23:22):
know, but how quickly we respondin obedience.
And I felt like it was the bestquote to answer into this talk
as we get to compare religiousSadducees and scribes and
political leaders like KingHerod and outsiders like the
Magi.
And on paper, we would say,well, yeah, those Sadducees,
(23:43):
they got the degrees, they go tochurch all the time.
Like, of course they're the onesclosest to God.
But this quote, this idea, whichI believe is firmly biblical,
tells us no, is actually themagi.
The magi were spirituallymature.
Even though they were outsiders,they were spiritually mature in
the sense that they werefollowing Jesus in whatever way,
(24:06):
shape, or form he appeared tothem.
And they were there.
And so as we move into communionnow, I want you to reflect on
yourself.
That your spiritual maturity,that your faith, it isn't strong
(24:26):
or great because of what youknow, and it's not weak because
of what you don't know.
But rather, spiritual maturityis how quickly will you respond
to what God is saying to you?
How quickly will you respond towhere you feel God is leading
you next?
And that's why we do impartcommunion every single week.
(24:47):
Because before we rush off tothe next thing, and it's the
Sunday before Christmas, I knowthere's gifts that need to be
bought still, and dinner plansthat need to be made.
But before we rush off to thenext thing, we take a moment and
enter into communion, whichreminds us that before we ever
give anything, we receive.
(25:09):
We come with open hands, not toprove devotion, not to earn
favor with God, but to rememberthe gift that started it all.
Jesus of Nazareth, born inBethlehem, to Mary.
The bread and cup, they tell thesame story we've been tracing
this advent.
(25:30):
Love gave.
(25:53):
Not just today, not just thislast week, but this season.
Where is he inviting you totrust him more deeply?
Where is he challenging you toloosen your grip?
Where do you feel called toreorder what you truly treasure?
(26:13):
Communion doesn't rush us intoan action, but it does invite us
into a quiet honesty, aworshipful commitment to live
differently because of the gracewe have been given.
So may we, this Madison Churchcommunity, be a people who
receive before they respond, whotrust before we control, and who
(26:40):
opens our hands, not out offear, but out of worship.
Love gave, and because of that,we are free to provide, not earn
God's love because we arealready living in it.
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