If I have have not already had the chance to say it, Happy New Years, and welcome to Resurrection Parish as we start a new message series for the new year. We are calling this series, “Defining Moments.”
   Experts tell us that we tend to judge and evaluate experiences or seasons of our lives based on specific moments that come to stand for the whole. Moments tend to stand for the whole of our experiences or perhaps an idealized version of our experience.
   Our view of church may come down to a certain key moments from our experience. If we like Church, it may well be that we associate Church with comfort or encouragement because we found it in church at key moments in our life. Or maybe we have stayed away from Church for a long time because there were key moments that the exact opposite happened. Someone from the church criticized us or put us down or made us feel guilty and so because of that moment we don’t associate good things with the church.
   Moments matter because they form a kind of lens through which we understand ourselves, our world, our place in the world, our relationships, and God. Moments matter, and some moments matter more. Defining Moments are brief experiences, so brimming with meaning that they bring definition and clarity into our lives.
   There are different kinds of defining moments. There are moments of decision, like saying yes to the job, or when wewalked away from a friendship over a principle.      There are teachable moments like when a parent, teacher, or coach imparts a real life lesson. There are moments of insight and understanding where suddenly everything adds up and makes sense.
   Moments of significance are times when we connect our every day life to something bigger than ourselves, something greater. These are moments in which we see we are part of a greater story or a greater mission.
   We see this played out in the passage we read today in the Gospel. St. Matthew writes, “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the new born king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to worship?’” (Matthew 2:1-2).
   We do not know exactly who the Magi were, but here, they have a defining moment,
that is definitely a moment of significance. Suddenly they see something completely different from anything they have ever seen before. They see something that breaks from the usual template for what they usually see in the sky.
   This is often how defining moments come to us: In the midst of attending to the ordinary, every day activities, the unexpected happens. We see this happen over and over again in Scripture. God meets people in their normal routine by doing something out of the ordinary.
   The Magi notice something different in the sky. The appearance of a new star, and a major new star, would have portended the birth of a great leader. Not good news to everyone.
   “When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born” (Matthew 2:3-4)
   By all historical accounts Herod was an insecure and emotionally unstable figure,
who had never even expected to be king. Herod goes to the religious leaders to find out what Scripture had to say about the birth of the Messiah. He would not have known the Scriptures himself because he wasn’t really a practicing Jew.
   Scripture does indeed foretell where the Messiah would be born, as they point out to him: “You, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will rule over Israel” (Micah 5:2). This information is given to the Magi, so that they might find the child whom Herod intends to murder.
   The story continues: “After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising proceeded them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother” (Matthew 2:8-10).
   So now we see another defining moment. After traveling hundreds and hundred of miles from Persia to Bethlehem, the Magi see the star where Jesus was. They have an epiphany or insight that the reason they have traveled is to encounter the person of Christ.
   The three gifts have always suggested three magi: The gift of frankincense honored his divinity as it was an incense that would be used in worship; the myrrh honored Jesus’ humanity as it was used for embalming; and the gift of gold honored Jesus’ kingship. With the presence of the Magi in the Christmas story the gift of God that is Christ is given to the whole world, to all people.
   The Magi’s story was shaped by key moments. Moments matter. They help us to define where we are and where we are going. When it comes to faith, they matter for three reasons. First, God uses moments in your life to reveal his connection for you in his purpose and plan for your life and to encourage you to grow in trust of him. Everyone I know who has a personal and living relationship with Christ can recall those moments. Those moments aren’t just frozen experiences from the past, but they recall those moments to help them continue to grow in the future. Our role is to be on the look out for those moments and pay attention to them.
   Second, Moments are also key for understanding ourselves. Some of our greatest fears or deepest hurts can be traced back to a few moments. We may be held back by a moment that happened a long time ago. If we recognize and understand those moments, God can help us break their power over us, but first we must recognize them.
   Third, we can leverage moments to love others. As human beings we have a fundamental need to be understood. And so understanding others and their perspective can be greatly improved by knowing their defining moment. In addition, we can create and shape moments that express our love for people or help them to overcome their hurts and hang ups. We can use moments to recognize people in our life or to teach them valuable lessons.
   So over the next few weeks we are going to take some time to look at defining moments. This week, take some quiet time to simply name 3 to 5 defining moments in your life. Name them and then pray about them. Ask God to show you what he was doing in your life during those moments.
   A new year is a perfect time to remember our time is God’s gift and its in his hands. And although we don’t always see it, he is at work in our lives at every moment.