Church Chronicles: Ep 3: Embracing New Beginnings: A Faithful Approach to New Year's Traditions

0:00 Welcome back to the Church Chronicles with Diary of a Black Woman. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and today we're just going to conclude the series of Janice, the real story behind New Year's traditions. In our previous episodes, we explored the pagan organs of New Year's Day, its secularization, and how traditions have influenced the celebration. Today, we're going to dive deeper into the modern customs of New Year's Day, reflecting on how these practices has evolved and how we as Christians can approach this holiday in a way that honors God. We're first going to tackle the evolution of New Year's resolutions.

0:43 You ever wonder how that got started? I don't know. I'm just always a curious person. How did New Year's resolution get started? Sorry about that. One of the most enduring customs associated with New Year's Day is a tradition of making resolutions. For many, the New Year's represent a fresh start, a time to set goals and make promises to improve various aspects of their lives. But where did this tradition come from and how can we approach it with a faith-based perspective? The practice of making resolutions date back to ancient civilization.

1:25 The Babylonians over 4,000 years ago, are believed to have been the first to make New Year's resolutions. They will promise their God, small case G, to repay debts and return borrow items, believing that if they kept their promises, the gods will favor them in the coming years. The Romans also made promises to Janice, the small case G of beginnings, small case G, God's of beginnings at the start of the year, hoping for a favorable outcome. These early resolutions were rooted in the belief that one's action could influence the favor of God's.

2:07 Give a sip of water here. As Christianity spreads, the concept of making resolution was adapted to reflect Christian values. Rather than seeking the favor of God's, Christians began to use New Year's resolution as a time for self-reflection, repentance, and renewal. The idea was to set spiritual goals, such as improving one's character, deepening one's relationship with God, or serving others more faithfully. In today's world, many of us use New Year's resolution as a time to organize our lives by writing budgets, daily planners, and prayer journals. These tools can be incredibly helpful in guiding us through the year and keeping our focus on what truly matters.

2:53 However, it is important to remember that while planning is good, we do nothing out of fear. Instead, we walk by faith, trusting that God will guide our steps. So let's turn to scripture to understand how we can make resolutions that are rooted in faith. Philippians 3, 13 to 14, it reads, brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize, which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

3:33 This passage encouraged us to focus on the future with a mindset of growth and perseverance. As we make resolutions, we do so with intention of pressing towards the goal of living a life that honors God. That's powerful, right? So we make this resolution and it's not like the end product, but the whole goal is that we do that to honor God. Our goal is to get to the prize. The prize is Jesus. James 4, 13, 15. Now listen, you who say today or tomorrow we will go this city or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, make money.

4:15 Why do you even know what will happen tomorrow? What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if it is the Lord's will, we will do this or that. Wow. The passage reminds us to hold our plans loosely, recognizing that our lives are ultimately in God's hand. When making resolutions, we will seek God's will and remain open to his guidance. So even though you might have a resolution, you might have a plan, leave room for God to work. Amen. 2 Corinthians 5, 17, for we walk by faith and not by sight.

4:57 This verse reminds us that our plans of resolution should be driven by faith and not fear. As we plan for the new year, we must trust that God is leading us, even when we cannot see the whole picture. And then finally, Hebrews 11, Now faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is the foundation of our hope and the confidence in God's promises. As we set goals and make plans, we do so with the assurance that God is in control, that he will bring about his purposes in our life. While resolutions are significant part of New Year's tradition.

5:40 The celebration itself, whether it's a quiet evening at home or a lively party with friends, is also central in how many of us mark the occasion. But let's explore how these traditions fit into the Christian worldview. Celebration is a natural part of human life. The Bible is filled with examples of people celebrating essential events. From the feast of the Old Testament to the wedding in Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle. The celebration has a place in our faith. Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1 and 4. There's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.

6:24 A time to week, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance. This verse reminds us that there is a time for celebration, laughter, and dancing. New Year's can be a time for joy and fellowship where we gather with loved ones to reflect on the past year and look forward to what God has in store. However, celebrations should be balanced with reflection. The New Year's provide an opportunity not only to celebrate, but also to reflect on your spiritual journey and to seek God's guidance for the year ahead. So there's always space to seek God's guidance.

7:07 Psalms 90, 12 reads, it says, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. This verse encouraged us to use our time wisely, recognizing the brevity of life. As we celebrate, we should also take time to reflect on how we're using the time God has given us and how we can live more fully for him. Here are a few ways we can incorporate faith into our New Year celebration. Whether you're celebrating with families or friends or on your own, begin evening with prayer of gratitude for the past year and request for God's guidance and for the new year.

7:48 So a lot of times people attend church on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I mean, take that time as a faith celebration, just as a time of reflection and prayer. Share your reflections. If you're with others, take a moment to share reflection how God has worked in your life over the past year. This would be a powerful way to bring spiritual focus into your life. Set intentions together. If you're making resolutions, consider setting spiritual goals as a group. You might choose a Bible verse to meditate on throughout the year or commit to a regular prayer or study group together. So number one, you want to start with prayer, share your reflection, set an intention. If you have a group or a prayer partner, what's going to be our theme for the year? It's always good.

8:37 And then what that does is to keep you accountable. When things get shaky, you go, this is what God said. This is our prayer for the year. And you hold on to that. That's your faith. You want to hold on to that. My new year celebration can be filled with joy and spiritual reflection. They can also include elements that may not align with our Christian values. The secular aspect of New Year's Eve, such as excessive drinking, materialism, or focusing solely on self-improvement, can sometimes overshadow the deeper meaning of the occasion. As Christians, essentially mindful of how we participate in these celebrations, here are some tips to navigate the secular aspects of New Year's.

9:20 New Year, make a conscious effort to keep Christ at the center of your celebrations, whether you're at a party or spending time with family. Remember that your ultimate goal is to honor God in all that you do. The Bible teaches us that the importance of moderation says if you find honey, eat just enough. Too much of it, you will vomit. That's so true. This principle applies to all aspects of life, including how we celebrate. Instead of making New Year's all about yourself, consider how you can serve others. This might mean helping someone in need, offering a listening ear, or simply being present for those all around you.

10:03 Glory to God. Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and improve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. This is so powerful because as I'm thinking, I'm thinking soberly because when you're in the world, you do as the world does. The world brings celebrate, bring the New Year's in. You're using having a cocktail as a party and it starts early and it ends late and you're just celebrating the new year's end and you bring it in with a big bang right but as a christian usually you're doing it totally different you're bringing it in with fasting and prayer usually you're at church or you're at home i'm bringing it in in a quiet somber state and praying so it's two different things are happening in the world.

10:59 And if you've been part of that party world and you've been part of the Christian world, it's two different things happening at the same time. Even the time when you had the ball dropping world where you're up, your whole goal was to stay up until midnight. Now, I don't know if I ever been up to midnight after a while because I'll go to bed. New Year's is coming regardless if I stay up or not. So I'm usually asleep. leave. Church get out about 10 o'clock and I'll go to bed and I'll wake up and guess what? Happy New Year begins. But it begins different for each group of people. So my main thing about this, I believe, is just a set of priority. And remember, even as we celebrate, it's not against celebrating having this New Year's party.

11:43 I mean, no one's against celebrating it. It's just, It's not an anti-party message. So as we celebrate New Year's Eve, remember that we were called to live differently from the world. We can enjoy the festivities. We should do it in a way that reflects our transformed minds and heart, seeking God's will above all else. So a good party is all right. You know, you got the hors d'oeuvres and just having a good, fun time among friends and celebrating what you've been through as a family, what you've been through as your work colleagues. You know, just that is just a relief.

12:25 And then to bring that New Year's in together will be just a fun event. It just balance is always good. So as we have explored for the past couple episodes, New Year's tradition, how it has evolved over time, learning secular and Christian practices, whether you're making resolutions, celebrating with a party, reflecting on the past year. The key is to approach these customs with a heart that seeks to honor God. God is not a party pooper, right? He loves celebrations. He loves celebrations, but you do it in the honor and glory of God, right? New Year's Day is more than just a time for parties and resolutions, an opportunity to start fresh with focus on what truly matters.

13:12 So as we step into this new year, let's commit to living lives that reflect our faith, prioritizing our relationship with God and our service to others. Amen. This is our final episode. So, and it's been a good time. It's just, I love, I don't know, you write these and then when you begin to speak those out for podcasts, it does affect you in a whole different way. Understanding that Janice started out as kind of a superstition, a fear of new beginnings. So you worship, you worship this superstition, but then you realize God is a God of the doors, the God of the keys. and then that your focus begin to focus on him opening doors.

14:00 And then you understand that he's the God of the whole year. So don't just get stuck on that one month or that one day, but just begin to focus on Jesus the whole year. Develop that relationship all year. So at the end of that year, you'll say, dang, I had a good learning time with the Lord. You know, this year has been prosperous for me. I think I'm at 191 devotionals. Now they're including dreams too. And so just saying like God has a lot to say. And when you actually take that time to write it down, he gives you more and more like he's a God of more than enough.

14:45 So I'm looking forward to just a different year of 2025 for me. And so in our final episode of this series, it's good. I hope you learned something and you understand these practical suggestions. I like to balance it out with like, this is pagan, this is God, this is pagan, this is God. But a lot of times you understand that towards the end, it starts to blend. Pagan dropped off, but yet we picked it up into secularization of the holiday. We will take it and it don't be the devil bringing it back. It's the people bringing it back. So devil don't get all that credit, be the people like, what are we going to do on this day?

15:26 And we'll just, we'll reinvent the wheel. We're not reinventing. We'll just bring it back and make that thing another idol and call it by another name. And then we will remove God from that idol. So let's pay attention to some things, right? But I also want to just wish you a happy new year again. And we'll continue this Church Chronicles series. We got some new things in February and March and April. We'll just keep it going. But I also want to thank you for joining me on this episode of Church Chronicles with the Diary of Black Women. I pray that today's discussion is giving you new insights and how to approach New Year's Day with a focus on faith.

16:06 If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a message, share it with others who might be interested in exploring these topics. Until next time, like I always say, stay curious, stay faithful, and remember, the truth is more surprising than we expect.