[If you’d like to listen to the audio recording of this message, click HERE.]
I hope you had a ”Happy” New Year. But what does that even mean? And even more importantly, why does that matter to our daily lives, having a “Happy New Year.” For starters, I think the expression “Happy New Year” is a lot like saying “Merry Christmas.” It’s an expression that means, “I hope that you enjoy (or did enjoy) this time of celebration.” Usually we’d focus on the “Happy” part of “Happy New year” during these sermons. But during advent, we talked a couple times about how happiness is based on happenstance, where JOY (which is what we really ought to desire and pursue) relies on Jesus. So that’s not the direction we’re heading today, but you just got a little bite size sermon in my introduction…for what it’s worth.
I began thinking about New Year’s and the types of activities associated with it, the decisions one makes because of a New Year starting and an old one ending. What do we focus on? And the question everyone should ask as they ponder things…the single most revealing word when trying to understand something is “WHY?” Why do we celebrate the end of an old year and party in a new year? Why do we blow party horns? Toss Confetti? Kiss someone at midnight? Ok maybe not that last one…but “why” is such an important question to ask.
Seeing as we are a Christian church, I try to understand these things in light of our faith’s founding time frame. What would “New Year’s” look like to the early church? What about Jesus and his disciples before Christianity became more established? How would they experience it? And most importantly, why would they experience it? In a world where we’ve got so many “No’s” and “Don’ts” some people wouldn’t even bother to celebrate or mark the passing of the old year and bring in a new one. “What’s the point? Can’t have a big party! Can’t fill up Times Square. It’s just another day on the calendar.” If that is you, then I ask you to open your mind and heart to the possibility that we have been missing something very crucial by just associating holidays as a “Get together, party, eat food” time…rather than the important occasion they ought to be.
For the Jews, of which…(Jesus was one, by the way)…they would have had several New Years, but the one we will look at in comparison to our own New Year is Rosh Hashanah, also known as Yom Teruah.
I wanted to do something a bit different with the notes today. At the top of this blog post, you’ll see two overlapping circles. This is commonly known as a basic Venn Diagram. They are used to visualize two or more categories of things. Today we are looking at the differences and similarities of New Year’s and Rosh Hashanah. Where they overlap in the center, that’s where we will mark what they have in common. In the outside sections of each circle, that’s where we can note how they are unique from each other. If you’d like, comment your thoughts in the comments section of this post or take a piece of paper and make the Venn Diagram so you can follow along. As we go through this message today, feel free to write down your observation here and at the end, I do a recap -compare and contrast of the two celebrations’ high points. First let’s look at our…
- Calendar New Year’s
- Party (the evening before)
- This is to welcome in the new year. People like to enjoy this with friends, share and eat lots of food and have fun. You might wear a silly hat, maybe silly glasses with the year 2021 over the eyes or perhaps dress in fancy outfits. At midnight, blow a party horn and toss confetti. If you’re with your sweet heart, you might give them a smooch.
- Party (the evening before)
Though the Main focus in our culture seems to be on the PARTY on the Eve of the New Year, the actual holiday – federally speaking – is Jan 1, New Year’s Day.
On the First Day of the New Year, what do people do?
Focus on Self-improvement
- Diet – whole 30, limit foods for 30 days, (foods without added junk are ok.)
- Exercise – umm cold climate is not the best place to get motivated for a fresh exercising routine, but people make this a goal anyway.
- Finances – focus on paying off your debt…that you may have accrued during Christmas time
- Quitting bad habits – this seems to be inclusive for diet and exercise, but also quitting drinking and smoking.
- Making it through a hangover.
Yes I know it might shock you, but the truth is some people aren’t thinking about much of anything on New Years day…just sleeping off their hangover from the previous night’s “good time.”
New Year’s Resolutions, past year’s reflections
By New Years Eve, people begin to declare what they want to change about their life and about themselves. One cannot begin to improve their life without first looking at where they came from
If a person said their Goal for 2021 was to be more “outgoing” in the new year, they would have to compare that to how “not” outgoing they were in 2020. If someone felt like they let their family down a lot in 2020, they might recognize that and make a goal to do consistent, special things with their family to improve their relationships in their house.
To make a change it requires reflection on one’s life and past, an interest in repenting from whatever that past was and the fortitude to follow through with your decision.
Those are some things that make up a traditional New Year’s celebration from an American’s perspective. Let’s look at the other holiday…but which other one? To figure that out, we’ve got to play the:
Name Game
Rosh Hashanah or also called “Yom Teruah” The Blowing of trumpets.
Before we get further into uncovering the basics, let’s answer the question…”Why two names?”
The Torah or Old Testament uses the term “Yom Teruah” in Hebrew. It literally means “Day
Trumpets” or the more useful construction: “day of blowing trumpets.”
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.’”
- Leviticus 23:23-25 NIV
So why the name change? I found a source online that suggests there was a Babylonian New Year that happened to coincide with the 1st day of the seventh month. The speaker suggested that, faced with the culture around them at the time, Rabbis decided to change the name of Yom Teruah to Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah, meaning “New Year.” Well you can do your own research on this one, as I needed to do, but many different experts detail these calendar changes…they just accept the holiday or Holy Day as it is: Yom Teruah. The Day of Blowing Trumpets, the day of Shouting.
Horn blowing has many facets
Besides Horn Blowing, what else happens with Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah?
Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah)
Soul-searching
During this Feast Time, introspection becomes very important. As the next item we will talk about is “Forgiveness,” one needs to evaluate if they require Forgiveness, or need to change at all. Also just understanding and learning a bit about yourself and reflecting on that.
You can do this through journaling. This is one of the most important spiritual practices that I have a hard time doing consistantly. But it is SO rewarding when you do it. Maybe not instantly, but down the line. When you write out your prayers to God, your thoughts about life, the world, yourself – you can learn a lot about where you’ve been and where you’re heading…if you just write it down.
I was on a mission trip in New York City. While I was trying to serve with my group there, I was battling loneliness. I was the only guy in my group – aside from our team leader, So I had no real friends to pal around with. I was butting heads with the leader and feeling excluded from the rest of the group. I remember being unable to sleep one night and I left the sleeping quarters and with my journal and went to sit in a stairwell. I prayed and wrote to God. I don’t remember exactly what I wrote, I just remember pouring my heart out to Jesus and telling him what I was feeling. I didn’t know what I needed. The only thing I could think of was a “hug.” But I didn’t believe that was gonna happen. I was not close to any of the girls or the leader to ask for one of those and as a college student, that seems a bit creepy. The ONLY way I was getting a hug is if God sent some random person into my life to give the hug I needed.
So that night, I went to lay back down and I envisioned Jesus in my mind. I had remembered a story another friend of mine had told me that Jesus gave her a hug when she needed it most. And that night, he did it for me. I was at peace.
In the next day or so, our team headed to an outreach ministry in Brooklyn. We handed out flyers for an afterschool art program at the local church and then we helped run the program that day. Only 1 mom and her two children came. The youngest was still in a stoler, but we had fun connecting with the mother and her children. We made decorative bible boxes, memory boxes and also…a mess. Glitter was involved.
As I was helping clean up by running the vacuum, the mom had seen how I worked with her daughter and told me I’d be good working with kids. Then before she left, she gave me a hug. I went right back to my vacuuming…until a moment later when I realized God had met my need, and I almost missed it!
The reason I tell that story is I am not sure I would have remembered the details and the reasons for my soul searching, had I not journaled and prayed that night. God may have provided for my need, but I might not have ever noticed it.
As a precursor to the day of Atonement, Forgiveness is an important thing to focus on during Yom Teruah.
You may have heard the expression, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”
It comes from the 18th century English poet Alexander Pope. He wrote about forgiveness in an essay titled “An Essay on Criticism.”
“‘Err’ comes from the Latin word “errare,” meaning “to stray or wander.” Related words, such as errant and erroneous, have the same Latin origin.” – From (“Learning english VOA”)
To make errors is to be part of the human experience. To forgive others of their errors or sins, that is a Godlike quality. One reflects the nature of God when they forgive others.
No surprise, Jesus had something to say on this topic.
14For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
(Matt 6:14-15 NIV)
Forgive and you will be forgiven. Don’t forgive and you won’t be forgiven.
So Receiving and giving forgiveness are very integral to the Yom Teruah celebration. How can a person celebrate God if they still have yet to forgive? They can’t.
Recognizing our sin, faults and short-comings. Turning away from sin and unhealthy behaviors, physical or spiritual. This ties into forgiveness. Forgive yourself and seek forgiveness from others.
Remembering God’s judgment
Past judgement, thoughts about future promised judgement day
So many times, the children of Israel forgot the Judgement and salvation the Lord provided. Thus the cycle depicted in the book of Judges. The reason we go through hard times is to learn from them and not fall back into the old patterns and behaviors we had when we were ignorant.
Joyful day of celebration
Party (we do this pretty well). Food is a big part of this one!
“A traditional holiday meal of round challah bread and apple slices dipped in honey is served on Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing God’s provision and hope for the sweetness of the coming New Year.” (Learn Religions.com)
- Looking Forward to God’s goodness and mercy in the New Year.
- Positive, hopeful outlook for the future.
- Keep your eyes open or you might miss it!
Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah is the Feast of Trumpets. (it was Sept 18 of this year)
Perhaps as we’ve walked through these two holidays you’ve been able to pencil in some ideas of the similarities and differences between New Year’s and Yom Teruah. If not, don’t worry I’m going to boil them down for us and hopefully we will be able to not only be better educated about these two holidays, but better know the heart behind them. And choose to be changed in a positive way because of them.
Key Similarities
Both are celebrations involving making lots of noise, including but not limited to blowing of Horns.
They also deal with changing things in one’s life to move toward improvement.
Key Differences
New Year’s Day is on Jan 1, while Yom Teruah is the 1st day of the Seventh month on the Jewish calendar.
While New Year’s is about SELF improvement through dedication and will power, Yom Teruah emphasizes repentance and forgiveness.
While we might ring in the New Year blowing party horns, with the celebration of Yom Teruah, the blasting of the horn gets our attention, reminds us of God’s POWER, and we can look forward to Christ’ return.
Conclusion
While it’s important to observe these holidays and celebrate them as they appear on our calendar, it is even more important to live them out every single day of your life. If life change is what they have most in common, then a changed life starts with you. Jesus was once accosted by a noisey blind man. He called out for Jesus and Jesus came back to him. Jesus looked at the man and asked “What do you want me to do for you?” The man replied “I want to see.” Jesus knew that, but the man needed to own it. Not only did he want to see, but he desired Jesus to make it happen. In the New year, it’s important to be intentional about what changes we’d like to make in our own lives, but it’s even more important to know the one who can make it happen. He is the one who is more powerful and shocking than a blast on a ram’s horn. And when he returns, there will be a great celebration…the greatest! The Final Party.
Sources for Yom Teruah information:
Viroqua Naz 