Walking strongly into the New Year

By Rev SEIK PITOI
DESPITE what some people think of Jesus Christ, every human being on earth, even if they have successfully omitted any reference to Christmas, set their calendar dates this week to count from His birth. On Jan 1, we celebrated, give and take a few years, 2018 years since His birth! That’s not bad for someone whose life and existence has been denied or questioned over time by puny little mortals!
How did you welcome the new year? These days, fireworks have become the major attraction, not to mention the lovely Chinese lanterns that fill the night sky with floating fire! We have our own ways of celebrating the arrival of the new year, but let’s see how they do it overseas.
It is said that in Denmark they save all of their unused dishes and plates until Dec 31 when they affectionately shatter them against the doors of all their friends and family. In Spain, the New Year’s tradition for good luck revolves around grapes. If you can manage to stuff 12 grapes, one for each month, in your mouth at midnight, you’ve achieved good luck for the next year.
One tradition has do with clothes. In some South American countries, coloured underwear is worn to determine your fate for the new year. Red underwear means you’ll find love. Gold means wealth, and white signifies peace.
In Japan they ring all their bells 108 times in line with the Buddhist belief that this brings cleanness. It’s also considered good to be smiling going into the New Year as it supposedly brings good luck. In Switzerland they celebrate the New Year by dropping ice cream on the floor, and in Romania they throw their spare coins into the river to get good luck. In some parts of Puerto Rico they throw buckets of water out of their windows to drive away evil spirits, and in Bolivia coins are baked into sweets and whoever finds the coins has good luck for the next year.
We have our own versions here in PNG. One main activity I used to see quite a lot of many years ago is the banging of pots and pans or other implements on the stroke of midnight. This supposedly chases away sprits of the past so as not to not follow through into the new year. Then, for Motuans, there was the famous ‘hetaodobi’, or tossing into the sea, carried out on folks whose houses were built over the sea. Young revellers would make their way up to the house and call out, “Happy New Year”, while dragging the ‘unsuspecting’ home owner to the edge of the veranda and throwing him into the sea (assuming it was high tide, of course!) For those on the land, usually a bucket of water was poured onto the unsuspecting person.
On the music side, there is no better anthem for the new year than the world famous Scottish song, “Auld Lang Syne” or ‘old long since’ (literally: “times gone by”). This sorrowful song was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum. Burns transcribed it after he heard it sung by an old man from the Ayrshire area of Scotland, Burns’ homeland. It is truly a favourite tune that brings up memories of the past year when sung at midnight.
So these practices and more have to do with breaking from the past, and preparing to cross over into a more prosperous and fruitful year. And, because of all that happening around us in the world today with the threats of nuclear war, terrorism, money crash and the like, it is the crossing over aspect that may cause worry, stress and anxiety.
So, after we’ve banged our dishes and poured buckets of water on each other, and after we’ve made that same resolution again for the umpteenth time, maybe it’s time to see what else God says about our crossing over.
Psalm 37: 23, 24 says:
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand (KJV).
This simply means God orders or directs our lives as Christians. That also means my future is in His hands. The customs of wishing for a good year do not compare to having faith in a God who delights in you. The text also is honest enough to say, “Though he fall”, not “if” he fall. God knows we are but dust, that we will fall. But He says we won’t be utterly cast down because He will reach down and pick us up with His mighty hand. That is the grace and mercy of God!
Another picture I see of the Lord is as a Shepherd walking us through the rough road of 2018. Psalm 23 tells us that even if we walk through the valley of death, doubt, fear and uncertainty, we must not be afraid for He is right by our side. His shepherd’s rod and staff protect us, direct us, and lead us towards the blessing of greener pastures.
Indeed, both these scriptures tell us that our God is dependable and can be trusted throughout the journey in 2018. Even if you fall and stuff up along the way, reach out to Him and He will pick you up. We don’t need to stuff our mouths with grapes or bang dishes to have a prosperous new year. We simply trust Jesus as we walk along with Him, and He will bless us.
To conclude, as I said in my previous articles, 2018 (or 5778 on the Hebraic calendar) is prophetically a year of new beginnings and open doors. It’s time to arise from our mediocre approach to life and start living. A new beginning means a fresh start, leaving behind failures, heartaches and disappointments of yesterday while moving ahead with God into open doors of opportunity.
May God bless and prosper you and your families as we begin our journey into an exciting and blessed year of 2018.
Happy New Year!