An excerpt from a Watch Night Service
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15*
…I would like for us to end this year reflecting on the wisdom from our Hebrew Bible *… from a man full of wisdom from a man given divine inspiration to write 2 books of the Old Testament; from a man who gave us his inspired insight in the prime of his life in the Book of Proverbs; and the wisdom in the Book of Ecclesiastes after he had grown old, after he had backslide in his relationship with God and by God’s grace returned back to a covenant relationship. So he gives us his observations and insight which the multitude of years and the Spirit of God teaches. In the 3rd Chapter of Ecclesiastes Solomon is letting us know in this New Year we are about to enter there will be changes in our lives! … Psalm 100 is not supposed to make us think we will not experience the trouble of this world, but to encourage us to have confidence in God and by faith put ourselves under
God’s protections and commit ourselves to His care.
This is a recipe for a blessed New Year, in good times and bad times, in season and out of season!
Another ingredient for a blessed New Year is to realize in the changes we might experience there is a time to lose, time to let go!
- Let go of the past! Let go of dwelling on missed opportunities.
- Let go of how it used to be; for what God has planned for us now.
- Let go of old hurts and new hurts.
- Let go of old disagreements and new disagreements.
- Let go of old pain and new pain.
- Let go of old mistakes and new mistakes.
- Let go of old disappointments and fresh disappointments.
- Let go of old arguments and new arguments.
- Let go of old sins-and new sins–do not let this year’s stuff follow you into a brand new year. Because we can be hoarders of our stuff …
God has something new planned for us because there is a time to seek and find what God has in store for our lives and our faith community.
The Apostle Paul’s ingredient for a Blessed New Year we can find in Philippians 3:13-14 where he writes:
“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”
A British writer named Manuel Barone gives this recipe for a Happy New Year. He writes:
“Take twelve fine full grown months, see that these are thoroughly free from all old memories of bitterness, malice, hate, and jealousy; cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off specks of pettiness and littleness, in short, see that these months are freed from all the past, have them as fresh and clean as when they came from the Great Storehouse of Time. Cut these months into 30 or 31 equal parts. This batch will keep for just one year. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time; (so many persons spoil the entire lot in this way) but prepare one day at a time as follow:
Into each day put twelve parts of faith, 11 of patience, 10 of courage, 9 of work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the whole) 8 of rest (leaving out this is like leaving the oil out of the salad—don’t do it) , 7 of fidelity, 6 of tolerance, 5 of kindness, 4 of hope, 3 of prayer, 2 of good will, and 1 well-selected resolution.
Put in a dash of fun, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.
Pour into the whole, love and mix with enthusiasm, cook thoroughly in a fervent heat; decorate with sweet smiles and a few sprinkles of joy; then serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness, and a Happy New Year is a certainty.” So that is my recipe to you for a Blessed New Year.
You may add some of your own ingredients. But, remember your most important ingredient is your daily walk with God. Have a blessed New Year. Amen
