~To all the members of the Church of God,I am tremendously delighted to greet you all a happy Christian New Year!~
Let us explore first on the different beliefs of many people regarding the celebration of New Year….
Catholics,and lots of people who believes that the New Year is every
January 1 including the Chinese communities and Muslims who practices
their new year respectively are not only the one who deserves to
celebrate the New Year,but most especially the true Christian who really
knows the true essence and meaning of it.
New Year is an event that is universally celebrated by many people
around the world.Their celebrations signify the welcoming of a fresh
stock of new days, a new beginning, new desires and new things.
Fireworks, misa de gallo, media noche, 12 kinds of rounded fruits as
their food partake in a feast or banquet, and many others are the
traditions every New Year day for Catholics and many professing
christian in many countries especially in the Philippines.
While dragon dance, wearing red clothes, decorating poems on red
paper, giving a children “lucky money” in red envelopes, fireworks that
shower the festivities, tikoy or sticky rice cake, are from the Chinese
communities.
About the Muslims and Islams likewise,the way they celebrate New Year’s
Day is different from other New Year’s Day celebrations.They gather in
mosques and offer special prayers and listen to special readings from
the Koran. An important part of the prayer service is the narration of
the Hegira or the flight of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina.
Muslims are supposed to reflect on their lives,the manner in which they
are leading their lives and about their own mortality.The day is spent
in prayer and on reflecting on how one is leading one’s life.There are
no celebrations that normally most of the people associate with New
Year’s Day.The New Year is known as ‘Maal Hijra’ among the Muslims. Of
late, a number of Muslims have taken to sending greeting cards to each
other on their New Year’s Day.
But the most distinct is the way how to celebrate it by the true
Christian.. As a member of our Church which is the Church of God, (and I
proudly say we are the true Christian),are also celebrating New Year.
Our celebration is far different from any other religions, we
concentrated most in worshiping God by means of singing praises to Him,
ardent praying, giving thanks, and listening to His words through the
preaching of bro.Eli Soriano and bro. Daniel Razon.. We follows the
Hebrew calendar because it was the one observed by the Lord Jesus
Christ, Bro. Eli teached us that it is the same calendar that the
Israelites used, as commanded by God in Exodus 12:2. (14) days after
the celebration of the New Year, we are going to commemorate also the
Lord’s Supper because it is the observance and practice of the
Israelites during their times. Being the followers of our Lord Christ,
of course we have to follow also what He did and His beliefs.
We did not welcoming the New Year through fireworks, dragon dance, 12
rounded fruits, etc.as what others legendary exploits in New Year.
But as far as I remember, Every eve of January 31st before,but not
exactly12 midnight,(in which the sign of new year of many has came)we
also making some fireworks display in the streets not because we believe
that by lighting of it bad spirit will go away..We did this just for
fun.. But a hasty time pass by,doing fireworks display every January
31st will not linger on,instead bro. Eli taught us the verse in the
bible:
II CORINTHIANS 6:14-18
14. Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15. And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16. And what agreement hath the temple of God with
idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I
will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people.
17. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you.
18. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Because of this verse,we are no longer observing on any kinds of what
are many people are practicing.We are all getting away in all men which
activities are with religious color.
As what I comprehend to our preachers,for me the meaning of New Year
is merely Jesus Christ..When I received the holy baptism and the Holy
Spirit in our church,the New Year begins in me,in my life,in my
being,and also the sign of the new chapter of my life. From sinful life
to the life with Jesus is very peaceful and exquisite.We can always
expect His cautiousness and riddance.
The New Year of many people are hugely different to the New Year of the bible..
It all started when the Israelites are in bondage of the Egyptians,Moises drawn them out of enslavement.
Exodus 12:1-14
1. And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2.This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel,
saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man
a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house:
4. And if the household be too little for the
lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to
the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make
your count for the lamb.
5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth
day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of
Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it
on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein
they shall eat it
8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the
morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn
with fire.
11. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins
girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye
shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.
12. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this
night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man
and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I
am the LORD.
13. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon
the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over
you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite
the land of Egypt.
14. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial;
and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye
shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.
As the Israelite getting rid out of enslavement in the Egypt was the start of the New Year to their lives.
Their history is comparable to the sinful man like me,being slave by
wrong doings but when I’ve met the Lord Jesus Christ,all are
straightened out.
Then the New Year start working in me and hoping until to the rest of my life…
Once again, Happy happy Christian New Year to all the brethren of
Church of God…Let me be the one to greet you first, for our New Year
will fall on March 11, Monday and for sure we will be having a
semi-thanksgiving in the afternoon,and apart of it is the preaching of
our (2) beloved leaders ,bro. Eli and bro. Daniel
To God be the glory forever!!
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