A Blessed New Year
Perhaps you are like me, relieved that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is behind us and eagerly anticipating a brand new year. Not that I hold anything against the holiday itself, but for some reason the more modern we become the more frivolousness is attached to the season, with the slogan of “the reason for the season” used by vendors as a shallow coating of morality in order to attract religious customers to their wares. Liquor companies offer huge discounts, department stores snare many debt-ridden families with their wily clutches of “0 interest” on any product purchased during this time, plastic reindeer and Santa decorations adorn living rooms and stores, the eve of Christmas is filled with people posting their Christmas adventures and gifts on social media platforms, etc. Like I said, I hold nothing against the holiday itself, what I do observe and wonder about is the extent to which Christians have become entrenched in these non-Christian traditions which have nothing to do with the birth of Christ.
You see, I grew up unburdened with these unnecessary paraphernalia associated with Christmas. Our mother always strived to present us with a new suit of clothes since it was a time of gatherings at church and with family; we were also handed one small gift each such as a toy. The actual day itself was celebrated either with a special meal at home complete with peanuts and candy or by attending a potluck at church and that was it for Christmas as far as we were concerned. There were no decorations at all, no parades, no Santa arriving with gifts. This pattern was no doubt largely due to the fact that the Holdeman Mennonite church does not permit “worldliness” in its observance of the season. Hence my great discomfort when I married an ethnic Mennonite who came from a very liberal church. The pine tree in the corner, the twinkling lights on the balcony, the plastic nativity scenes laid out on the shelf. Eventually I grew accustomed to these decorations but still do not allow them to enter our home.
Our children are being taught the same principle I learned as a child. “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable”.
This is why to me, the New Year’s event is much more exciting. You have 365 days behind you to ponder about and another brand new year to welcome; it’s all about what you’ve done and what you will do, Lord willing. You can shout Happy New Year with all your heart, light a roll of firecrackers, even give out gifts and join the festivities unfettered by any hybrid traditions the origins of which probably are imbedded in the Roman Catholic church since the dawn of Christianity. Can you in all honestly wish a Jewish person a Merry Christmas when he obviously believes you are in the wrong? Will you convince an atheist to repent by sharing the gospel story during Christmas eve? Do you think an Adventist will be motivated to worship on Sunday because you celebrate Christmas by giving out gifts? But no such concerns or moral obligations accompany the New Year’s event. Whether you’re an atheist in communist China who celebrates it on February or March, or an ultra orthodox Jew, or a Belizean Adventist, a new year is… a new year. You cannot argue it away with endless theological discussions, you cannot deny it, nor can you state that it was completely a man-made event. Whether your new year begins in mid-January or in March, it’s there. A brand new year.
What will you do with it?
Whatever your plans are, we want you to have a blessed and joyful New Year!
A. Mendoza
