Yesterday, February 5th, marked the new year in China, dubbed the “year of the pig.” I wonder if that means they will be eating a lot of barbecue this time of year? The Chinese follow a lunar calendar so their new year appears to float around our calendar a little bit. It caused me to think about why in our culture the new year always starts on January 1st. I knew it had to have something to do with the Roman Empire, and after a little research determined that January 1st was the year the Roman Consuls (basically, the two guys who together formed the executive branch of the Roman republic) took office. Sometime around 46 B.C. Julius Caesar rearranged the Roman calendar and made that day the first day of the year. It’s amazing to think that separated by over 2,000 years our country, along with many others, still follow an ancient Roman custom for the new year.
When we turn to the story of God’s people in Exodus 12, God reorients the Israelite nation around an amazing act of redemption He is about to do. He is about to perform the greatest act of judgement against Egypt during what is called Passover, which will in turn set the Israelites people free from bondage and slavery, putting them on the path to the Promised Land. In the very opening part of the instructions to their leader Moses, the Lord says, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you” (Exodus 12:2).
I’ve always thought, how amazing this is, that the beginning of each new year for Israel would be a reminder of God’s great act of redemption on their behalf. Think about the feeling of renewal that occurs every new year, what if we added to that God’s love for us? What if we then took a moment each day when we woke up and just reflected on God’s great love for us?
So with that final word, “Happy New Year!”