Topic: The Celebration of New Years!
The New Year celebration is an eventful celebration that
is pivoted within a zealous and energetic mentality. The demonstration of zeal
and energy involved in the celebration is emanating from whatever the previous
year in focus must have offered the celebrant either positive or negative. The
New Year celebration becomes such an exuberant celebration because many of the
celebrants who felt that the previous year in focus did not bring in anything
better in their lives would never want to have the same experience(s) in the
present year in focus. Hence, the celebration of the present year in focus with
positive and revelation knowledge mindset that is rooted in a painted
imagination of better and positive things happening in it.
Nobody would want those appalling impediment, frustration
and dissuaded situations that took place in the previous year to repeat itself
in the New Year. Therefore, it is not out place seeing people celebrating the
New Year with tears rolling down their faces, which is a form of expression of
how joyous they are escaping all the ills that took place in the previous year.
In a way to prove how hopeful they are in the fulfillment of their
expectations, the New Year must be celebrated in a powerful, colourful and ostentatious
manner and of course the bills in making all the needed things available runs
higher notwithstanding the pecuniary hardship of the previous year! In order to
usher in the New Year, the fireworks must be there, the streets and houses must
be painted, and parties must be organized. And in some countries the executive
arm of the government issues what is called the New Year messages and of course
the messages are just a mouth action that has no psychological or spiritual
impact in the life of the citizenry down the line.
On the other hand, the New Year celebration has lots of
myths and unfounded beliefs surrounding it. Many believe that in the first day
of the New Year one should not have any misfortune, the occurrence of such
would depict ‘bad luck’ and it is assumed that such sorrowful occurrences will
continue in the life of the individual through the year in focus. Others
believe that they must put on a new cloth or material they have not putting on
before; such is an indication that their life will continue to be freshly throughout
the year in focus. And among the male folks, many of them visit the hairdresser
to barber their hair, which of course means that they have mourned the previous
year and have come into the New Year with fresh hair growing. Yet, some will
make sure they have good food cooked in their houses that first day of the New
Year, which implies that they will have enough good food to eat throughout the
year running. And among many, it is a taboo to say tacky words out of their
mouth because such words will accompany them throughout the year. Of course
there is this avowal called the ‘New Year Resolution’ among people, which is a
form of decoration of new agendas and characters that is very different from
the agendas and characters they had in the previous year that never paid
anything better in their lives. This is born out of some kind of ecstasy generated
from the feeling of better things to come therefore nothing should be allowed to
dent their chances of getting those things in the New Year.But as the ecstasy
of the New Year continues to wane off, the old man in them gradually
resurfaces.
However, there are several people who the previous year
in focus favoured, they had their expectations met, and they had blissful business
outcomes, smooth marriages, warm friendships, mouth watery co-operate
association deals and great political achievement. Ending on a note like this
means that these category of people are not in any way against the previous
year in focus, in fact they remain grateful and would like that it doesn’t come
to an end. Therefore, they are taking active part in the celebration of the New
Year in a way to show that they can be able to shape the past achievement and
such sureness will thrust them into a greater level of achievement in the present
year in focus.So, many massively celebrate the passing year in the New Year to
thank the passing year of its benevolence to them and at the same time they
celebrate the New Year with the believe that it will bring in more and better
fortunes to them. The same way many heavily mourn the passing year in the
celebration of the New Year with the believe that whatever negative thing that
happened to them in the passing year will not surface again in the New Year,
hence the celebration of the New Year with great expectation of good tidings on
their way.
However, the question is, is there actually anything like
Old Year or New Year? Technically, the answer is no! This is because on the
surface there is no difference between first of January 2018 and thirty first
of December 2017, both are days and as usual both wanes up as every other day
that come into existence does. Therefore, the creation of the calendar years is
just manmade and they exist in the sensory realm of man and as a result the
existence of years is fictional. To a Christian or better still a believer in
Christ, he or she doesn’t exist in any year rather in Christ. In Christ is a
place the believer dwells and he or she receives a New Nature that is
irreversible (2 Corinthians 5:16-18). He or she lives and operate his or her
life in Christ because there he or she has his or her being established (Acts
17:28). The verse quoted does not say in December, January or any other month
we live move and have our being but in God we live move and have our being. In
verse 18 of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 it states that everything about the
believer is found in God, so the existence of the believer is rooted in God,
therefore no external forces should play any role in the welfare or well-being
of the believer.
And no wonder Jesus declared in the gospel of John
chapter 17 verses 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
The word world here means the system or the organizational structure of the
world put in place to run man’s activities here. Do Christians work with the
system? Yes, but are they of the system? No. Reasons see 2 Corinthians 3:5,
Psalm 68:19, Philippians 4:19 and Psalm 112:1-3. You may ask question like, is
it proper then for Christians to celebrate the New Year Day? Well, the answer is
an emphatic yes! Reason the New Year Day is just like every other day that the
Lord has made and given to man, therefore when we wake up each day we echo the
words of the psalmist “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will
rejoice and be glad in it.” The Christians should be the most rejoicing set of
people on this planet earth that very day because it is the day the Lord has
made and we should rejoice and be glad in Him, according to the original
manuscript. The Christians are not rejoicing because of the New Year Day but
because of their placement in Christ, Christ is the day for each believer, the
book of Hebrews puts it better this way “Again, he limiteth a certain day,
saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will
hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus (Joshua) had given them
rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.” There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:7-9). Christ is that day
every believer has entered and has rest.
Therefore, on the New Year Days we celebrate Christ
because in Him we live, and move and have our being! That is why actually the
believers do not have anything called the ‘New Year Resolution’ because the
place of the believer is a perfected place and he or she has been perfected in
Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:10, 3:3, Hebrews 10:14). For this
reason anyone that has come into Christ will not fathom how the desire of doing
negative things dies in him or her. He or she just sees himself or herself
living above such characters because he or she has come into a perfected
environment. The steps of the believer are ordered by the Lord. Praise God!
Till I come your way again, keep on basking in the arena of indubitable truth!
Chukwuemeka C. Asiegbu
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