What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

True, it’s the title of another one of those romance “songs of the season” as the singer wants to know whether she gets to be the date on New Year’s Eve, or if she’ll be left wondering what the guy’s doing. Nevertheless, isn’t that the frequent question of conversation at work after Christmas? Surely, it seems, everybody is doing something to celebrate!

Interesting how various cultures celebrate.

If you were Italian or from one of the southern states in America, you’d likely have a good helping of legumes—lentils (in Italy) or black-eyed peas (in Georgia). Apparently, the little round beans, representing coins, promise prosperity.

I know some Swedes; their cultural celebration incorporates rice pudding with an almond buried somewhere in the bowl. Whoever the lucky celebrant is who gets the almond in his serving can expect the next twelve months to be marked by good fortune.

A Common Thread

The common thread running through all the traditions, of course, is the hope for some form of material prosperity. That reminds me of the New Year’s Eve party scene from Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Broadway musical Sunset Boulevard. The host announces that everyone must share their New Year’s resolution. And all who do proclaim that “by this time next year…” they will have achieved some measurable degree of greater prosperity.

A quite normal longing, I suppose. I mean, I’ve yet to meet someone who hoped the coming year would bring bankruptcy and homelessness.

What are you doing New Year’s Eve? Perhaps one’s answer will give a hint at his longing?

Last December 31, we spent the night in Chicago, right on the river. The excitement in the air was palpable, especially at midnight when the synchronized fireworks exploded from Navy Pier and all along the river. Everyone in the crowd seemed to long for a good time, a much better 2020 than 2019. Guess that didn’t turn out so well.

Several folks I know are sound asleep when the calendar page flips—and some years I’ve been one of them. Perhaps they (we!) are merely expecting more of the same, not really longing for any significant change. Perhaps even hoping that nothing does change!

One place to be on New Year’s Eve isn’t frequented much anymore, but being there could be an expression of hope and longing.

Church?!?

As a child and even into young adulthood, I usually found myself in church the last night of the year. “Watchnight Service,” we called it. The evening usually began at 7:00 p.m. with an extended time of singing—often favorites offered by the congregation—followed by a brief message. Sometimes a college-age young man preparing for the ministry would bring that message. Another song or two. Then a full-length Christian film (every church had to have a 16mm film projector for this very purpose!).

At the film’s intermission, we made our way to the fellowship hall for refreshments. Everything was timed so that the second half of the film ended around 11:30 or so, because the old year had to end with the Lord’s Supper. The new year always came in the middle of the pastor’s closing prayer.

One year, I was probably 12, I recall during the pastor’s prayer excitedly peeking at the Timex wristwatch I just got for Christmas. It had the day and date window, and this would be the first time I got to see the number flip from 31 to 1! Of course, it took about fifteen minutes to complete the flip, but still.

So why were we at church of all places on New Year’s Eve, of all times?

It had to do with fostering deeper goals and desires and longings.

In a letter to his friend Gaius, the Apostle John wrote,

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

It’s easy looking forward to a new year to hope and pray that all will go well (we’ll prosper) and we’ll avoid COVID—and every other sickness, for that matter. But the church Watchnight Service was intended to get us to be concerned about things going well with our soul over the next twelve months. Do we give much thought to that when making our “resolutions” or establishing our goals?

At the end of Peter’s second letter, he offers good “Watchnight Service” counsel:

“…take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

– 2 Peter 3:17-18

Negative and positive goals for the new year.

Avoid falling into error of any kind and becoming unstable.

Grow in grace; grow in knowledge of Jesus Christ.

So, it’s New Year’s Eve and, of all places, I’m in church. What practical goals will I establish to avoid error and maintain my spiritual equilibrium? Could those goals have anything to do with my TV and movie watching—my entertainment choices? How about my social media consumption? The reading material I select?

Probably all and more.

Well, what goals will I establish to help me grow in grace? What corrosive attitudes toward others need to go? Against whom am I holding a grudge? What am I so angry about?

And how about growing in the knowledge of Jesus? Do I take time daily to read some portion of the Bible? Do I need to be more consistent in attending church—perhaps adding the Bible study to my Sunday morning routine? Let’s see, what was the last Christian book I read—one that deepened my understanding of biblical truth?

Here’s the thing. In anticipation of a new year, we can get all worked up over “prospering” physically, materially, financially—and we certainly ought to take stock of those areas of life, to be sure.

But are we neglecting the prosperity of our soul?

What are you doing New Year’s Eve? How about going to a good, ol’ fashioned Watchnight Service—even if it’s at home?