It’s a New Year! We have wiped the slate clean, turned the calendar page, begun anew! Our minds rush with expectations and resolutions…this is THE year we will lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more. We will stick to a budget, find a better job, become more organized.

Hope springs eternal in our hearts as we look forward to a new beginning on January 1!

But the New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn’t begin on that date everywhere. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. Some cultures, such as the Chinese, have lunar calendars with fewer than 365 days. Their months are based on the phases of the moon.

After centuries of celebrating New Year’s Day on January 1, Christians in the Middle Ages moved it to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation. In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the calendar, restoring the celebration of the New Year to January 1.

Good luck rituals have grown up around the ushering in of a New Year. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year. In Greece, a special New Year’s bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice is for the Christ Child. The British believe the first visitor of the year should be male and bearing gifts. In Wales, at the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year. At the twelfth stroke, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed in, bearing good luck.

After all of the New Year’s celebrations pass and winter settles in again, our hectic pace often slows. We can experience a wonderful time of introspection and meditation. We can seek out spiritual direction from our God, perhaps either in private prayer or in Bible studies with friends. Even the snow, gently covering the northern landscapes, seems to cleanse our thoughts and hearts, bringing us closer to our Savior, enabling us to hear His words, and to experience His never-ending love for us.

Although the words of Burns’ song, Auld Lang Syne, refer to “the good old days,” we look to new beginnings in the New Year. It is a wonderful opportunity to open our hearts and find inspiration from our God. This inspiration often comes from the daily life surrounding us – a kind word from a loved one, a smile from a stranger, an unexpected hug from a child. Yes, we can indeed find God as we start a New Year, even in the most ordinary things!