Sunday’s Blessing – 12/28/2025 - New Year
Why does January 1 have significant impact on our frame of mind? Is January 1 really the first day of the year? There is nothing in scripture which dictates this. Google “Hebrew calendar” if you really want to get confused. They use both lunar and solar calendars, having to add an entire lunar month occasionally to stay in sync with the solar cycle. The New Year begins in the spring to coincide with agricultural seasons, which is when most of the Jewish festivals are celebrated.
So, why do we get either 1) so excited we can hardly wait for the new year, 2) dread having to start another year, or 3) being glad this year is finally over? It’s just a day. In the west we follow the Gregorian calendar, but other cultures have a totally different way of counting years, with their New Year coming in random places based on our calendar.
Scripture does speak of “the first day of the first month”, relating to the Hebrew calendar followed in Biblical times. However, God always reserves the right to change things whenever He chooses. After Israel had been led by Moses back to Mount Sinai, God spoke an amazing word to them. I think of this often when facing difficult circumstances.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.Exodus 12:1-2 (ESV)
This coincides with the Christian celebration of Easter. This actually makes perfect sense to me, that Easter, the time of rebirth through the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating of Christ at the right hand of God, would be celebrated as the New Year. That is the page in the calendar you want to see coming every year. It reminds us of our redemption and restoration. Our relationship and fellowship with our Creator are acknowledged. We are reminded of our freedom from death, hell, and the grave.
January 1 holds no magic power. It does not control us in any way. It’s simply a way of counting years in our society, which is subject to change by religious, scientific, or government officials. Do not allow a date on the calendar dictate how you live your life. I have actually heard ministers speak of remembering the day you were “saved,” saying, “If you don’t remember the exact date you were saved then you may not be a Christian.” I don’t have to remember that date, because I remember the day the psalmist spoke of:
Open to me the gates of righteousness,that I may enter through themand give thanks to the Lord.This is the gate of the Lord;the righteous shall enter through it.I thank you that you have answered meand have become my salvation.The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone.This is the Lord’s doing;it is marvelous in our eyes.This is the day that the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:19-24 (ESV)
“This is the day” refers to the day Jesus became our redemption. I can rejoice in that day because I have been identified with Christ in every way, as Paul describes in Ephesians 1 and 2. It was the work of the Holy Spirit who baptized me into Christ. I can, and do, rejoice in what God has done in me. January 1 has no bearing on me because of THAT day in Jerusalem, on the hill called Golgotha, when the Messiah of Christmas became the Sacrifice of Easter, making way for all who would believe to be reconciled to the Father.
So, Happy New Year, everyone! It’s going to be a great year because of THAT day! Let any resolutions you make come from the relationship you have with the Savior, not a date on a calendar.
Today’s Blessing:
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”Numbers 6:22-27 (ESV)
