This is the start of a new year and thus a new worship series, “Who are you?” It can be a daunting question. Some folks are born with a strong sense of self and purpose. Maybe you know someone like this. Wes Dillion and Katie Beamer are two such people I have known in my life.

Wes wanted to be firefighter. Katie wanted to be a nurse. They knew this since kindergarten, when I met them. And sure enough, that’s what both became. From my perspective, they never wavered. I didn’t sense any doubt in them, while I was riddled with doubt.

I might get this from my mom. She’s curious about everything! She never really defined herself by her career, and she frequently says, “I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!”

She did find a career that fits her personality. She’s a rural mail carrier. She loves being outside. She loves nature and helping people. So it’s a great fit.

My brother in-law Travis is similar. He doesn’t define himself by his job. He knows what he likes and that’s what he does. Wherever he works is just a means to hunt, hike, and shoot his bow. This year he became a professional archer. He’s a pretty laid-back guy, and I really respect that about him.

Meanwhile, my sister and I are ALL about purpose and discovering who we are. We’re sort of obsessed with it. We’ve done the Myers-Briggs test. Leadership 360. We’ve done purpose books and such. We’ll be on the Enneagram soon, most likely. After three, almost four decades, we still feel undefined. We both married people who have a sense of calm around them. Anchors for us. Kate is such an amazing person and a ground for me. I tend to dream and think of possibilities, and she bring me back to practicalities.

She grounded me when I was really stressed out following yet another purpose and identity retreat put on by the UCC. I went to my yearly retreat for the UCC Next Generation Leadership Initiative, and we had to write this long paper about our personal mission statement. I came back with more questions and a great deal of anxiety. Kate calmly said, “Keep it simple. Start where you are.”

Well… I’m named Luke. Luke means light. I was born on January 6. That’s the Feast of Epiphany, the feast of light. It’s also known as little Christmas. It’s the time when the Eastern Church gives gifts and celebrates Christmas because it’s when the Magi, the Wisemen gave their three gifts to the new born king, Jesus. This fact has been part of my identity, and when I think about it… it’s part of my purpose too. Let’s take a closer look at this story as sometimes we can get overfamiliar with something and miss important details.

Only the book of Matthew has the magi. No shepherds, census, or choirs of angels singing Gloria IN EGGSHELLS SEE Deus. In the time of king Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wisemen came from the East. The is no number given. Just wisemen. Or the Greek “Magi.” Magi would be astrologers, soothsayers, alchemists, and other practitioners of the esoteric arts. This word can still be found in our word, Magician. We’ve made them into kings due to the hymn: “We Three Kings.” There’s no mention of that. We assume there are three of them and they are royalty because they have treasure chests and give gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

This would have been a shock to the Jewish court of Herod when these folk showed up. First there are laws against trying to tell the future. Sorcerers and witches are to be put to death.[1] Then they are talking about a special child who has been born. All kings in the Roman period had two things: A virgin birth and a star that shown over their birthplace

These are not Jewish traditions. Thus the great line, “When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him.”

This would be like a group of foreigners from some indeterminate country showing up in Washington saying, “So where’s the king?” And we’d be like… “Well, whether you’re a fan of this administration or not… we have a process for this with voting and the electoral college and it’s in November and this is January…. And we threw off a monarchy and have a president not a king… so…”  We would be frightened, and all America with us.

Herod sends these magicians to seek out the child in Bethlehem after the chief priests and scribes consulted the words of their tradition. He asks the magi to come back so he can go and “pay him homage” which means, “Kill this would-be usurper.” For Herod is the type of king that uses all the religious language he can use to cloak the true god he worships: power. I see this in many Christians today. They worship power. They show off their private jets, luxury cars, and their proximity to power. It was power that wanted to kill Christ. It was Herod who killed the infants to try to get to Jesus. It was kings like Herod who sent the holy family into Egypt to seek refuge and asylum.

These troubling magicians leave and enter the house where Jesus is. They pay him homage and give their gifts, then, having been warned in a dream, they leave for their own country by another road.

I can relate. Growing up, I wasn’t like Wes or Katie, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I started in construction sales and then management. I had a company car and a great salary and commission package. Yet it felt hollow. I didn’t like who I was becoming. I was become obsessed with things. I was coveting my neighbors’ house, property, big screen TV, and gaming system. Kate never fell for it. She was prudent and unconcerned with things. She helped ground me and noticed who I was becoming.

I started looking for my star. I consulted with my chief pastors, mentors, and wise folk in my life. I made the decision to leave what was familiar and go on an adventure. Like the magi, I traveled to a strange land… Eastern Pennsylvania. I followed my star through seminary. We landed in the Toledo area, knowing we wanted to someday move closer to our family. We spent six years there before coming here… home by a different route, I guess.

It’s not an exact parallel. I might be forcing it, but there have been dreams and signs along the way. I thought I’d find what I was looking for in Herod’s court. The halls of power. By being rich and connected and powerful… but that wasn’t it. My purpose lay somewhere else. It was in the journey that I found it.

I found the answer to my assignment for the Next Generation Leadership Initiative in this story. I wrote my mission statement. I found my purpose. It took years, but I was able to articulate why I am a pastor and why I do what I do. My identity/mission statement is: “Part dinosaur, part theologian: on a mission to re-humanize the church.”

The part dinosaur is my playful side. It’s also a reference to Jurassic Park and my love of pop culture. There’s also a sense that I’m a dinosaur in the fact that I believe that the old ways are sometimes the best ways. Face-to-face interactions. Hand-written thank you notes. Joining a church to better my community. These things are not always valued in today’s society.

Part theologian is my life-long obsession with religion and theology. I’ve always loved it. It was my only consistent A in my school career. It came easily to me. I’m interested in all religions. I love learning belief and faith systems. I fell in love with the UCC and then specifically the congregational way. Those two things make up who I am: a geek who loves religion and seeks to find God.

Then there’s the mission part. To re-humanize the church. To say that the church is not the building, the belief system, the denominational structure… the church is and has always been the people, despite popular opinion otherwise. The church walked around with Jesus in the form of the 12 apostles and countless unnamed disciples. It was the people, not the budget or building that was given the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. It is the people that we often see Christ in; in small acts of kindness. In baptisms. In kind words and hugs at a funeral.

The church is the people. Not a system. Not anything else. We must remember that if we are to survive and thrive in a new era where church membership is not a given. When the largest denomination is “the nones” who have no religion and don’t find it necessary.

If you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up… if you aren’t like Wes and Katie. If you don’t have a sense of purpose that can be stated in a succinct phrase and tweeted… if you’re not like my brother in-law Travis or my beloved wife Kate who just understand who they are and are grounded…. Then there’s good news. The mission and purpose are found in the journey. The journey away from the familiar. It will put you in the halls of power, but they are not the point. God has hung a star for you, and you can follow it through your career. In your hobbies. In your favorite sport. You can follow it at any time in your life. It will result in you finding God. It will result in you giving your gifts to God. It will send you home by a different route.

The path is lit by God. The star is there. Look beyond. Others won’t see it. That’s okay. It’s not their star. They might be frightened at what it would mean for them. That’s okay. It’s not about them. It’s about you. Follow YOUR star. Find your community who will travel with you.

Our new worship series this month will journey through familiar scriptures and find purpose and identity. Maybe at the end of it, you’ll be able to talk in a new way about who you are and where you see your star. Your assignment at the end of this is to write your purpose/mission statement in 3 sentences or less. I look forward to hearing your stories, your sense of purpose, your mission statements. I’d love to talk about your journey and path.

It will come to you in people you once thought were “other.” Those whom you were warned about when you were little. They can come with a troubling word that causes you to rethink and relook at your tradition and understand it in a new way. God is still speaking and each person could be the voice of God, are you listening? Amen.

Works Cited

[1] See Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, Deuteronomy 18:10-13, Isaiah 8:19, and Revelation 22:15