I was wondering why we celebrate New Year’s, other than the normal because it’s the first day of the year. After doing some research I also discovered that there is a Biblical reference to that day as well. The 1st of January is 8 days after the birth of Jesus on the day He was circumcised. This is in keeping with the Halakha, Jewish law which holds that males should be circumcised eight days after birth during a Brit milah ceremony, at which they are also given their name.
Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Okay, so we really do not celebrate Jesus getting circumcised so what other reasons do we celebrate the 1st? Let us look at December 31st, New Years Eve, which is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day.
New Years Eve is the victory lap of the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, where we spend all our energy. We then cap it off with one last party to say good bye (or good riddance) to what just happened and hello to what’s to come.
In modern practice, fireworks, music and other forms of noise making in part of the New Year's Eve celebration. New Year's Eve is celebrated with parties and social gatherings spanning the transition of the year at midnight.
Sounds like a lot fellowship to me. Also sounds like The Fellowship of Believers as seen in Acts 2:42 - They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
But we can all agree that this time of year is for change. We all want to do better, be thinner, be smarter, etc. Maybe a positive spiritual change for you this year. This could be something as simple as committing to reading your Bible for a minute a day, or maybe even reading it for the first time in its entirety. Perhaps it’s going to church every Sunday this year, or getting involved in that ministry you’ve always thought about. Or maybe you want to actually pray this year. Maybe it’s something even more drastic: maybe it’s a complete turn from the path you’re taking.
If you struggled this past year and want to change your life but do not know how, get on knees and pray to God that he will show mercy on you.
Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
