- By -
- Around Town
Print 
Making New Years Resolutions is, surprisingly enough, one of the world’s oldest customs! The majority of research resources agree that it probably started in 153 B.C., when the image of a mythical king of early Rome was placed on the Roman calendar. With two faces, King Janus could theoretically look back on past events as well as forward to the future. The Romans named the first month of the year “January”, after Janus, and began a custom of making resolutions because they felt the two faces of Janus were symbols of both beginnings and endings. Thus, at midnight on December 31, Romans exchanged gifts and made resolutions as they imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new. Julius Caesar is credited with developing the Julian calendar in 46 BC. His goal was to have a calendar that would more accurately reflect the changing of the seasons than had the previous calendars. He decreed January 1 the beginning of the New Year. A later change had December 25, the commonly celebrated date of Jesus birth, as the date of the New Year. Yet another change established March 25 a holiday called “The Annunciation”, for New Year‘s Day. Finally, in the 16th Century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.
So, although the date for New Year’s Day is not the same in every culture, it is always a time for celebration and for custom. Making resolutions, for instances.
The Lansing Star Online has already received some thought provoking comments from members of the faith community who were asked if they had made personal New Years Resolutions and what their congregations would address.
From Marilyn Paradise: “I’m not sure if I will ever be ‘resolved’ but I am practicing some new thoughts for the New Year. Here’s one: For a brief moment, I thought of my responsibilities as “Program Associate” for The Lansing United Methodist Church and “Program Coordinator” for the Lansing Older Adult Program. Needless to say, I network a lot of programs. I work on programs for Christian Education for youngsters, youth and adults and other programs for healthy, vital and independent senior citizens. Just the thought of all this programming and all those ages overwhelms me. In the next moment of this brief thought, I realized I am but a speck on the palm of our wondrous Lord’s hand. I am a mere instrument of His great work in the church and community. So, I am ‘resolved’ knowing this is His work, not mine. I will now ‘Let Go and Let God‘.”
With a brand new baby daughter, Reform Jewish Congregation Tikun V’or Religious School Director and Administrator Coordinator Naomi Wilensky said “ I didn’t have time to make any”, then gently pointed out that “The Jewish New Year starts in September with Rosh Hashanah, but that doesn’t mean we’re not always trying to better ourselves, or resolving to do better”. In a follow-up email, she emphasized; “The Jewish New Year is Rosh Hashanah, in the fall, but we are always looking for ways to improve ourselves and the community. So perhaps our congregational resolutions would be to encourage more member participation, to continue to reach out and welcome others to our congregation, and to work with community partners toward the goal of ‘tikkun olam’, repair of the world.”
While Mary Searles, Director of The Lansing Food Pantry, did not exactly state it as a formal resolution, she did say she was going to contact ALL the houses of worship in the Lansing Area “Right after the New Year” and get them involved [in the food pantry].
As area Pastors return to their pulpits from educational leave and holiday breaks, we anticipate having plenty of material for another column on resolutions by the end of January.
Until then, congratulations if your personal resolutions had anything to do with losing weight or being a better person. You have just used two of the Top 10 Most Common New Years Resolutions! Go to http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/n_facts.html for more information.
----
v2i1