I Just Wish That... I Had More (Money)

If you’ve been busy or traveling over the holidays and you’re making it to church for the first time in a few weeks, we’ve been in a series called “I Just Wish That...”

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I Just Wish That...

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We’re in the time of the calendar year that the church calls “Advent.” It’s the last few weeks before Christmas. And so during advent, in this series, we’re leaning into this truth every weekend:

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At Christmastime, Jesus wants to meet us in the gap between what we just wish and what just is.

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A couple of weeks ago, I talked about family, and how we just wish it was easier sometimes. Then last week, Pastor Chip talked about grief and this wish that a lot of feel the pain of around the holidays—the wish that someone we loved were still with us. So if you need to hear either of those, or hear those again, hop online—prairielakeschurch.org.

But, let’s take another step in our series this weekend. Here’s how I’d like to set us up:

Introductory Illustration: Taxes

We’re well into December; just a few more weeks, and we’ll be into the New Year. So, like many of you (I imagine), my wife and I have been doing some financial planning as we look at year-end and try to envision what next year should look like.

And one of the things that we just kind of “face palmed” about is this dynamic:

The more money you make, the more that people take.

Specifically:

We marveled (to put it nicely) at how much of our income gets eaten up by (your favorite word and mine)...

Taxes.

Now, as a pastor in America, my relationship with taxes is a little more complicated than some, because of a tax status that is too complicated (and boring) to explain in a sermon. So it takes a little mental gymnastics (at least, for a guy like me) to wrap my head around and calculate it.

But as Erin and I were doing some planning, we did that calculation, and we got the number that we’re paying on an annual basis, and...

It’s ridiculous. It’s like every time you get a raise, Uncle Sam gets a bigger one.

So there’s my story.

How Did That Land With You?

And as I tell it to you, here’s what I’m wondering, out loud:

How did that story land with you?

As you heard me tell it, what did you feel? What were you thinking?

I’m imagining that some of you deeply resonate with it. Because that’s kinda your story, too. And you’re ready with some tax advice for me after the service.

But I’m guessing it missed others of you, because that’s not really your story at all. In fact, you might be thinking: “Must be nice. Cry me a river, pastor. Let me know when your private jet needs to be updated. Because I’ve got something for ya.”

Still others of you, though, might wondering: where is this going? Why we’re talking about this at all… in church, no less. Just get to the Scriptures.

Me talking about what I make… what I pay in taxes… another pastor talking about money. Probably gonna wind up talking about wanting more of mine. Aren’t there about a million other things that we could and should be talking about?

My Money: None of Your Business

Whether you resonate, or don’t, or don’t think we should be talking about this at all… here’s what I think:

I think at the deepest level, when it comes to our money, all of us (and especially us Iowans) are coming from a similar place:

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My money, my business.

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We might have different reasons for thinking so, but I think that about sums it up for most of us.

It might sound like, “That’s between me and God,” or “I’ve got plenty of people already demanding their cut,” or “It’s all I can do to keep up with inflation and whatever hobby my kid wants to get into next”—

This attitude might sound a little different for each of us if it came out of our mouths, but still: this is usually the heart behind it. My money, my business. Meaning:

It’s none of yours.

Transition

You know who didn’t have that attitude?

Magicians from Persia.

How’s that for a segue?

Turn with me to Matthew 2.

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Matthew 2:1-12

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(Explain where to find Matthew; verses on the screen as well.)

Let’s start by reading verse 1-3 together:

Exegesis: Matthew 2:1-12 (Worship/Disturbed)

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Matthew 2:1–3 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”

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(Set up for video.) Say this with me:

Magi came to worship. Herod was disturbed. (Repeat.)

Jesus was born. A heavenly army of angels tore the sky open one night according to some shepherds tending sheep. And as the news travels, you have two totally different responses to the announcement of the newborn king:

Magi came to worship. Herod was disturbed.

Now, let’s answer two questions:

Who are the Magi? And who is Herod?

Here’s who the Magi are:

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Magi from the east:

Persian advisors & priests

Combined astronomy & astrology as advisors to kings

Played both prominent religious and political roles

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That’s who the Magi were. They weren’t Jewish. They weren’t God-followers. They were more like astrologers, but added some pre-scientific study of the stars and how they moved in the sky to their observations.

World leaders at the time listened to them. They probably were pretty smart guys to begin with. The added astrological “insight” probably just added to their authority and credibility.

But outside of this star that apparently caught their attention, they are completely removed from the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. In fact, it’s very likely that they arrived in Bethlehem 1 to 2 years after the angels announced Jesus to the shepherds. Verse 11 describes them visiting Jesus as a child living in Joseph & Mary’s house. And Verse 16 talks about Herod’s decree that impacted boys under 2 years old.

So that’s who the Magi were. These emissaries from the Babylonian or Persian courts who had traveled hundreds of miles following a star they were tracking.

Herod, on the other hand, lived right in the middle of the story—in the city of Jerusalem, just a few miles from the bedroom community of Bethlehem. Here’s who he was:

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Herod:

also known as “Herod the Great”

Idumean Jew installed by Rome as the ruler of the Judean region

ruled from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.

leveled oppressive taxes for prolific building campaigns

increasingly paranoid as he grew older

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So, most of this we know from a man named Josephus. In order to chronicle the history of their empire, Rome would contract different people from the various regions of the empire to document as local historians. Josephus was the guy they selected from Judea.

And so Josephus creates this historical work that we still have today called “Antiquities.” And in it, he quotes Caesar Augustus as saying this about Herod:

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“I would rather be Herod’s pig than his son.”

-Caesar

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Because Herod got so paranoid that everyone was after his throne that he started killing off his own family members.

The Magi came to worship. Herod was disturbed.

In fact, that word “disturbed” is probably a little too soft. There’s an element of turmoil or even fear: Herod was terrified of this news of Jesus’ birth.

Of all the things the Magi said to him, two of their words triggered Herod the most:

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Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”

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Born. King.

Essentially, here’s what the Magi are saying to Herod:

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Where is the guy who is legitimately entitled to everything you have?

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Where is the guy who is the real owner of all of your wealth?

Where is the guy who actually should be sitting on your throne, calling the shots, telling you and the rest of us what to do?

Where is the true king?

The Magi came to worship. Herod was disturbed.

And so Herod calls in the rest of Jerusalem’s Bible scholars and asks them if the Scriptures say anything about this “king.” Verse 4:

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Matthew 2:4 “When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.”

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And remember what we read in verse 3: not only was Herod disturbed, but all of Jerusalem with him. Because this isn’t just a threat to Herod’s position; this new king is a threat to theirs as well.

So Herod asks them, and they have the answer. They know what Scripture says. Verse 5:

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Matthew 2:5–6 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

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Just think about how crazy this is for a second. The nation’s leader asks the capitol city’s pastors about where the promised Messiah, the Savior King sent from God, was to be born. And they know the answer.

And they’re not overjoyed.

They’re terrified.

Because why? Because...

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They don’t want a king.

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They don’t want a king.

They already had one.

Not that they liked the one they had. But the one that they had was just as good as any other. Kings are all the same.

Kings tell you how you have to spend your money. Kings tell you what you can and can’t do. Kings demand your allegiance and send you on their missions.

They already had a king. They didn’t want another one.

Another king talking about...

My money. (My business.)

My private life. (My business.)

My priorities. (My business.)

And here’s the irony in the story:

For many of them, their literal business was supposedly God’s business. These were the chief priests and the teachers of the law. These were professional, paid, Bible-believing, law-abiding, God-following people, for whom...

The last thing they wanted was for God in the flesh, God’s Messiah, his Savior King...

To tell them what to do.

And so… verse 7:

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Matthew 2:7–8 “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

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And we know from later in the story that paranoid Herod does this secretly because he doesn’t really want to worship this king. He wants to kill him.

Herod was disturbed. But the Magi...

The pagan, astrology-believing, signs-in-the-sky-peddling, biblically-illiterate, not-from-around-here foreigners...

They came to worship.

Verse 9:

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Matthew 2:9–12 “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

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Herod was disturbed. But the Magi came to worship.

Gold was back then like it is now: a precious metal prized for its beauty and value. Frankincense and myrrh were fragrant spices, hard to find, and extremely valuable.

Each of these gifts, fit for a king.

And these astrologers couldn’t wait to give them. They were overjoyed when his parents received them on his behalf.

Herod was disturbed. The Magi came to worship.

Your Treasure, Your Heart

Here’s the question:

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Why is it so often the case that God’s people are more disturbed than overjoyed to give the King our treasure?

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(Repeat.)

The answer to this question is a simple one. Hard to admit; painful even. But it’s pretty straightforward:

Because, like God’s people of old, we love our treasure more than our King.

We don’t want to admit that. But our behavior betrays us.

That’s why later on, Jesus, now all grown up (just 4 chapters later), says this:

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Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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Erin and I love our kids. We do.

Now, we never buy them anything. We spend about an hour with them on Sunday morning. We know we should probably do more than that, but we’re pretty busy. A lot on our plate. But we still really, really love them.

Doesn’t make any sense, does it? I mean, if you heard me say that, you’d probably (first call Child Protective Services, and then) call me out on that. Right?

You’d say to me—and you’d be right:

You don’t really have love in your heart for your kids if that’s all you’re doing with them and for them.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Especially at this time of year. We almost feel guilty about what we put under the tree for them.

But that brings us such joy. To watch them open their gifts that we bought for them. It brings us joy to bring them joy.

Now, there’s a dollar sign attached to that joy. Gifts can be freely given—meaning without compulsion. But gifts always cost something.

Nevertheless:

It’s a cost we love to pay. Because it’s for gifts to two of the people we love most in the world.

We’re not disturbed to give it. We’re overjoyed to.

Because that’s how love works.

Herod was disturbed. But the Magi were overjoyed.

Because Herod loved his treasure. But the Magi...

The Magi loved the King.

Application: PLC

(Set up PLC Financials.)

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$190,000

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