by Rev. Gina Johnson

So I have a question for you all. So, how do you define purpose? If I were to say to you, what is your purpose? How would you define that? And I just want you guys to sit with that for a moment.
When I was little, the question was what do you want to do when you grow up? And nowadays when I hear it, you know, it's funny because I'll hear adults say, well, I'm still not there yet. And so if your purpose doesn't have anything to do with that question of what do you want to be someday in an occupation, where do you find your purpose? How do you define what your purpose is?
If you look up a simple definition of the word purpose, it'll say for which something is created. And so we can take this to a very high vantage point and say, well, what did God “purpose” us here for? Sometimes I get these really deep questions within my mind, and I look at all the things that are happening and the things that I can control and the things that I can't control.
And the things that people might say, you know, those are just illusions. They're here for us to navigate through as we return to knowing who we are. But then at the same time, it's like, gosh, but these things feel very real as someone passes away or as someone's having surgery or someone received a diagnosis they weren't expecting or on the good side, as someone just got married, as someone is having a baby, as someone is moving into a new place or receiving a job promotion.
But do all of these external circumstances really affect our purpose? Let’s go back to that highest vantage point of why God put us here. Well, Jesus summed it up in the two greatest commandments of love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. And so if we were to use that as our purpose, imagine how many little things we could find underneath it to help us grow.
Today, we're going to take a look at we three kings that visited the child Jesus and we're going to go to the book of Matthew in chapter two, verses one through 12.
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.
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 in Bethlehem in Judea. They replied, for this is what the prophet has written. But you, Bethlehem and 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.
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.
After they had heard, the king went out of their way. After they had heard the king, they went out of 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 into 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.
I just want you to know this is probably the first time I have dove into this story as much as I have a couple of weeks ago when I started looking at the scripture. I never really thought much about it. And when I was a seminary student, I was a little bit annoyed because the kings don't show up right when he's born.
And technically, we study Epiphany and the birth of Jesus. His birthday isn't even Christmas Day. So why are we doing these things? And I was like, “Oh, tradition, Gina, leave well enough alone.”
So this time I thought, you know, if I don't like seeing those little ornaments set out prior to after Christmas, because that's when the three kings show up, and if I'm really going to spend time thinking about the gifts they brought, the gold, the frankincense and the myrrh, why don't I see what else they have to say to me?
And one of the first things that they said to me was they were seeking purpose. These three kings, magi, magicians, sorcerers, dreamers, seekers, whatever, three men of curiosity, three men were deeply seeking truth. They were willing to leave their comfort zones and go out and find greater purpose. They studied the stars. You could think of them as maybe, you know, astrologers or some form of scientists.
But they studied and they knew that something was taking place that had been prophesied over time. And for whatever reason, something inside of them rose up and said, we have to go. We have to follow this star. We have to see him. This is our purpose.
I try to insert myself into a pair of their shoes or sandals or whatever they had on. I think to myself, OK, depending on my level of research, if I knew that this prophesied Messiah was going to be born and although it may not be quite the kingdom that I'm envisioning in my head, if I know this is the teacher of salvation, this is what's going to free me from oppression, and even if my mind is a little bit mixed up and I'm like no more Roman authority, no more being pushed around, no more being persecuted for what I believe, all because this king is coming, then this baby would give me purpose as well. And I think that is one of the reasons that I look to study more and more about the Word, that I look to learn more and more about Jesus, who he is and what he is doing for us.
Day by day I discover who I am and what I become in remembering myself through the teaching of Jesus. You see, these magi, they represent what we should all be, no matter how old or young we are. That is seekers of the truth. That is seekers of remembrance.
We should all be willing to step out of our comfort zone to go the distance to know who we are and what we can do to fulfill our purpose. That purpose of loving our neighbor as ourselves.
You ever go to the grocery store and what you want is on the top shelf? Some of you are taller, so this might not apply, but I’m vertically challenged. So I go to the grocery store and the box I want is on the top shelf all the way in the back. And I'm looking around. And this is the day that no one else is going to be there.
But every other day at Walmart, I can see everyone and their mom. Right? But this day, you know, there’s no one and then I'm like, “OK, I can step on the bottom ledge and try and get it.” It's all the way in the back. No one's there to get it for me.
So let me tell you what that box of cereal for me is. For me, that is the Oneness. You know, the thing I'm always saying, “Hey, you guys, we're all one. You know, see everyone as another version of you. Love everyone as if they are you in a different incarnation, in a different part of their life.”
That is a challenging one to grab ahold of. That is one of those places where, well, that person just treated me really rude. You want me to love them like they're me? I wouldn't act that way. There are so many different little things that prevent us from being completely in that Oneness.
I was in a car ride with my daughter, Gina, the other day, and we don't really talk too much about deep spirituality things, but as we were talking about her siblings and our household and the way that people see things, I said “You know, I really do believe that if the whole world would stop with all the confusion and stop with all the labels and stop with the ‘I'm right and you're wrong and you're right and I'm wrong’ and just really look at what God intended for us. What Jesus was teaching, then guess what? We're all Christian because in Jesus's teaching, no one was excluded. And Jesus's teaching, there was no separation.”
I said, “Gina, if the world could just get there, if the world could really understand that phrase, love your neighbor like yourself. Do you know that we would not have any of the challenges we have today?” And then I laughed and I was like, but that's a long way to go. So I just put that box back up on the shelf, push it towards the back, and I just don't mess with it because there are so many other things to get to along the way.
There are so many other boxes of cereal. Like, can you learn to have a good day? Can you learn that no matter what is going on at home, no matter what's going on at school, no matter what's going on in my relationship, that I can walk out into the day grateful that I am here and I am alive and I am in a country such as this.
I have people say to me all the time, pray for our country, mostly when I'm in the nursing home settings, that comes up as a prayer request. Pray for our country. And yes, I believe our country needs prayers. But gosh, I can't say we need them any more than any other country out there. And so instead I just say, “You know what, I'm not going to get overly bogged down. What can I do to fix our country? What I can do to bring Oneness to the world?”
My answer is, in trying to honor my purpose, I'm going to seek truth. I'm going to seek understanding. I'm going to seek love. And I'm going to make it my purpose to practice all those things each and every day with gratitude.
The Magi reminded me that when something pulls at you and something called you and you feel that divine connection, that you can find your purpose in it. Move towards it. Nothing has ever pulled and called to me like the love of Jesus and the teachings that are in the Bible. That is my purpose.
Another thing that I saw as I was looking through the scripture is the fact that the Magi were able to recognize divine guidance in a star. In a star.
I want to ask you, what is the star in your life?
A star can be seen as hope. A star can be seen as guidance. And stars are something that we can all look up to. Sure, maybe not on a cloudy night, but you know, they're still there.
So that's what I'm curious about. What stars are currently guiding your life? You know, how many times have you made a decision in your life based on a particular star that showed up and you knew it was the one to follow? That's something to think about.
And if you look at places in your life where you see incongruency, where you think it's not lining up with your purpose, where you see things that are a little more challenging, then ask yourself these two questions. The one is, what is this here to teach me and how is this going to serve? Once you answer that question, you may or may not need the follow up question. But if you answer that question and you're not happy with it, then the next question is, instead of complaining, what am I going to do about it?
So what stars are showing up in your life? What star is leading you to your place to be? And if you're following a star that seems like it's flickering or, maybe that's not a star after all, then just take a moment. Stop and look again.
I would encourage you to find yourself a daily practice. I would encourage you, as you find your purpose, to find that daily practice that's going to keep you focused on it, that's going to keep you focused, turned inward, that's going to keep you moving toward it. There are many days where the days can feel long and challenging if we let them, and sometimes the stars in my life my family. There are other times where the stars in my life are sitting are the people in my congregation. But there are going to be times where nothing in your life seems like the star for you to follow. The same people aren't around, the same things that you used to do, you're not doing the same. That’s when it's going to be important to find the star that's in you, it’s one you can always see and you can always feel.
Another thing that these magi taught me was about obstacles along the way. I remember one time we were up in North Dakota and we were leaving, we were excited, we left very early in the morning and we didn't get too far before we hit a deer.
And it's interesting because in those moments you're so thankful that your family is safe, that no other vehicles were involved, and that the tow truck is on the way and we have great family in our lives that are going to help us still get to our destination. But once you're done with the gratitude and the emotions have calmed down, how quickly we go back to, “Well great, that set our schedule off, now we need to call the insurance, now we got to do this, how soon are we in the car, how are you going to get to work, wait, your parents, what?” And it just turns into that. But the truth is, everything we do in life is going to have an obstacle.
The question is, is that obstacle a stumbling block or a stepping stone? Is it something you have to stop and look at and pay attention to? Or can you just go around it? And when it is those times where that obstacle is there just like an obstacle course for you to run through, can you remember your purpose? Can you see your guiding star, and can you keep going?
Imagine these magi on this journey. What kind of obstacles did they have just in that travel? How many of y'all have traveled in the past few weeks? Any obstacles? None at all, right? How many of you all were at home this past week? Any obstacles?
Did all the snow just clear out of your driveway during the last big winter storm? My friend Pat, made my day after a big snow storm because he sent me a picture of the church stairs half cleared, half not. And boy, that was a lot of snow on those stairs. And you know, that's a perfect example of everything we're going to face. There is that path that looks like it is covered in snow. There's no way you're going to make it up there without falling, without freezing, without getting snow all over you. Or there's this clear path. And sometimes we are so silly, we want to take the path that has all the obstacles, all the challenges, just so when we get there in the end and we're freezing, we're like, “I did it, guys. I made it.” Right?
Or we can thank those who cleared the path for us. And we can walk up there and be like, I don't know who's doing that side, but here I am.
Obstacles are going to come and go. The magi, they went to see this king, right? He invited them in for a chat. And he was just deceptive. He was insecure and he was worried thinking that “some baby is going to be born and take down my empire, take down my kingdom, and I'm not going to be the fancy king I am.” So he told lies and set up schemes. And that was a huge obstacle.
But the magi didn't let it stop them. They persevered through it.
Can we do that? Can we recognize that there is a King Herod or a pile of snow or a deer in the road or a sore shoulder or an appointment that got canceled or a friend that we lost or a loved one that isn't going to make it to see us like we thought? Can we look at those obstacles and be grateful that we had the opportunity and now there's a new way to go?
Another thing that I learned from these magi was the great feeling of coming upon that moment of awakening.
Did you hear that scripture where it talks about on coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary and they bowed down and worshipped him? Have you had those moments in your life? Have you had those moments where you saw something or felt something and it just pulled you into a trance? Maybe it was a state of worship. Maybe it was a state of celebration. Maybe it was just a state of gratitude. Maybe it was all of the above.
Here's a classic example. There's the groom standing there and then all of a sudden he sees his bride. I remember when I got to do a member’s wedding and just the look on her groom's face once he stood there at the end. If he didn't have a role to play I think he would have bowed down and gave worship to his beautiful bride right then.
When they saw the baby Jesus they bowed down and worshipped him. I bet they were even worshipping his divine mother who took on the task that she took on. Were they worshipping him to lose themselves and to all of a sudden say, “We need do nothing. We're just going to count on this baby and he's going to deliver us.”?
I don't think so. I think they were worshipping with love and awe and mystery and wonder.
“I don't know how this kid sleeping in this hay with all these animals is going to be the one. But that's okay. I am okay with the mystery because I see that divine awakening I feel in just knowing this is happening.”
Do you know something is happening in your life? Do you know what God has promised us? Do you still have that faith and that excitement over what we are doing in the kingdom of God? Do you still wake up each morning and give thanks to God not just for the material things around you or the people in your life but for the fact that you, you get to lock arms with God.
You get to be that empowered voice of truth. You get to love people unlike they've ever been loved. You get to bring harmony and unity and eventually you get to reach that box of cereal up there that reminds us that we have that oneness.
I know anytime I get a glimpse of that, it either kicks me in the butt if I'm in a place where I'm like, “Oh, what's it all for? Why am I doing all this?”, or it pulls me in for a hug when I'm in that. “I'm going to do this. I got this. We got this. Here we go.” It pulls me in and says, “Yeah, we do. We got this.”
We all have a divine purpose. And if we truly surrender to the knowing of it, the embracing of it and the trusting of it, I promise you, you'll feel the awakening of it. I had a friend take me to lunch the other day. We had a two part lunch, actually. We had lunch and then we had dessert lunch and it was rather spectacular.
And the main reason why, besides I love this friend dearly, was they reminded me of purpose. And the things they said touched me in such a way where I felt that divine moment start to awaken again. I'm telling you, the Magi's journey came to its peak point when they saw the Christ child. Because that was their realization of all that is coming to fruition.
And here's the thing, guys. It's still coming to fruition. Because people are still fighting and people are still caught up in the different religions and cultures and who's allowed to have what and do what and say what. That means it is still coming. And it's our job to navigate. It's our job to steer. It's our job to clear the way and embrace those that fall along the journey, help them back up. It's our job to share and to love. And it's our job to keep remembering that it is coming, that we are on the way to that place in consciousness, that place in humanity where we really all are one. Feel that divine awakening.
And last but not least, one of the things that I learned from the Magi is that sometimes you have to return another way.
As they had that obstacle with King Herod, you know, it could have caused them a lot of things. They could have become really fearful and decided to split up and go different directions. They could have chosen to hide.
Who knows how many conversations they had with Joseph and Mary and whoever else was around. What do we do? Where do we go from here? Did they look at the little boy and say, “Hey there, future king, what should we do right now?”
They were warned in a dream, and they had to go back a different way. And they did. They chose a new path. Their purpose didn't change. Their guiding star didn't go anywhere. But with the obstacles, they used the power of that divine awakening and chose a new path.
And so that's my encouragement for you. As you seek out your purpose, as you follow your guiding star, as you awaken in that divine moment and go and share and live into who you are, recognize that every now and then, you may have to take another path.
As we look back on our past, is there some place calling you to take another path? Or maybe there's just a place calling you to sit down, check your backpack, retie your shoes, dust yourself off, and keep on going. Whatever it is, I am honored, humbled, and very grateful to be walking on this divine path with you all. And if we keep our sights set on that divine purpose, we know these beautiful things are going to come to fruition.
So I encourage you to spend some time, as the Magi did, and follow that star. That star that leads you to Jesus the Christ, the one who came to show us the way and to teach us. And if we continue to follow that divine light, we too will have those gifts of joy, of faith, of hope, and of love.
Please pray with me. Almighty God, we give you thanks for the teachings, for the lessons that come through your word. We give you thanks for the Holy Spirit that is always speaking to us and guiding us and offering us discernment.
And we give you thanks for our master teacher, the teacher of the world, Jesus. God, as we go from this place, may we see our star brightly shining more than ever before. And may we remember that our purpose is to love you and to love others like we love you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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