New Year’s Day has many historical and religious origins. In our part of the world, it owes its principal origins to the Roman god Janus.

Janus was the god of gateways. He is depicted with two faces, one facing forwards and one facing backwards, the god of beginnings and endings, the god of transitions. The month of January is named after Janus, hence the reason the New Year is in January.

Christianity has always been adept at weaving earlier customs and practices into the fabric of belief and catechetics. There is a natural desire in the human heart to commend to the Creator in thanksgiving the good things that have happened to us, and to heal and mend all that is broken and dysfunctional, especially that which now appears to be beyond our powers. As we look to the future, we desire that God will bless and prosper us and all of creation.

Looking back over the year that has ended, we know that we would want peace to grow where war is raging. We crave stability, respect, justice for ourselves, for those we love, and indeed, for all people of goodwill.
Many of the situations in our world that we know have been caused by human greed, by indifference, ignorance, hubris, lust for power, seem to be beyond our control. We feel helpless. 

That is why it is good to pause as we enter into a new era, a fresh beginning, this New Year of 2023. We place the past into God’s hands in sorrow and thanksgiving. We entrust the future to God in hope and trust. 

We pray for God’s blessings on all: 

O God, be gracious and bless us

and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

and all nations learn your saving help.

Let the nations be glad and exult,

for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

till the ends of the earth revere him.

(Psalm 66 [67])

In blessed hope,

+Terry