The concept of a New Year is a somewhat artificial construct. Different places in the world even have different dates for celebrating a new year. It is somewhat artificial in that a culture had to pick what they considered a significant marker and assign it to be the moment when the old year ended and the New Year would begin. The changing of the sun’s position in the sky or the moon’s cycle had deep significance to the running of a society, so often these were the significant events.
Knowing that the harvest was about to happen was massively important too. It was a marker of the end of a growing cycle before a new cycle of planting would have to begin. The spring rebirth or new growing season had similar importance. So, it too was a date to be concerned about. Then, we could go on to examine how cultures exploring the concept of a calendar aligned with more precise astronomical measurements effecting the assigning of what was to be known as the New Year’s celebration.
This would bring us to the question, what does all of that have to do with being a Christian? What significance, if any, does the calendar and its’ events, portend for a believer in Jesus Christ? Do we enjoy the various traditions that mark the New Year’s festivities of our culture or should we eschew them?
What are some of the ways that cultures celebrate the New Year? Certain foods are eaten. Some of those even are supposed to portent good luck, or marriage possibilities. There are bonfires, fireworks, drinking, political speeches and parades. How did these traditions form, and what significance do they have for us today? Many of them began in false religious beliefs.
Am I just being a kill-joy or are there some things that we might do well to reflect upon? Obviously, I think it is the latter, that we might do well to reflect upon a few of these questions. To begin with, from a Christian point of view, every day of the year is a good day to think about the past and make a decision about the future. Any day is a good day to think about turning over a new leaf by turning your life over to Jesus Christ.
The men and women of old always lived on the verge of a disaster. Should they plant their crops at a wrong time, if disease or drought broke out, they would face hard times ahead. So, when one cycle of life ended there was a genuine moment of fear and possibility all at once. What things might they do to improve themselves or what life might hold for them took on a very serious meaning. Many ancient New Year’s practices contained an element of placating the gods that they worshipped and begging that god or gods to make them prosperous in the upcoming year. Sometimes sacrifices were offered on those bonfires.
Mankind has always guessed that there was something higher than they were and that they needed to talk to that entity. Until God met man in the desert some several thousand years ago and gave his message called the Bible, we could only dream of who and what this superior being was. Now, we no longer have to wonder. The creator of the universe is God Almighty, not Zeus, or Apsu and Tiamat. It is not the Roman god Janus who they thought was the god of beginnings, (hence the concepts of new beginnings at New Year’s).
There is only one God who created this whole universe and all of us. He is the God of the Bible who made his agreement (or covenant) with man a long time ago and it still stands, come what may. The Bible story contains all the elements of what we consider to be the New Year’s resolution. It describes many circumstances of growth and change, and being more Christ-like as a goal. We are to seek God’s grace and help on the course of our life and follow his holy book in all our ways. We must lean into the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
This time, this very moment as we have ended 2021 and are beginning 2022 is perhaps a time when we can relate to the ancient people’s of this world more than ever. As one cycle ends, we wonder what is ahead. More death and destruction from the many viruses plaguing our planet? More disruption of what used to be our normal way of life? What of the political and lifestyle changes knocking at our collective doors? How will we make a stand if called upon to stand up to government tyranny? Fake chicken or beef for dinner anyone? Inflation, election fraud, and a world divided. No, there is no doubt we can relate to what those first New Year’s celebration were all about. There seems to be a lot more to think about than losing a few pounds or giving up smoking. God bless you all as you contemplate this New Year.
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