Several hours after posting this, I wondered, why do we make such a big fuss about the new year? Every other holiday celebrates something of national or religious import, but what does New Year’s day signify, but a meaningless change of a number on a calendar? This is the sort of thing to excite children, (it was certainly exciting to me when I was a child), but I can’t see adults making a big deal out of it. Special events, big parties, concerts, all the hooplah, it all seems so silly and empty. Better to stay home and ignore it all.

Of course, it’s a good thing to wish each other a happy new year, it’s a nice thing that brings people together. But to do that we don’t need frenetic celebrations.

In my church (a traditional Reformed church), we have two worship services at this time, one at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, and one at 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day; the reasoning behind this is to reflect on God’s blessings in our lives in the year past, and to pray for God’s continued blessings in the coming year ahead. Thus, although as you say, it is indeed merely a change of the calendar, and not significant in and of itself (as Christmas and Easter are), it nevertheless serves as an opportunity to reflect on God’s provision for His people, just as Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving are similar opportunities, as well. (We also have a service which is the spring-time counterpart to the Thanksgiving, asking for, among other things, God’s blessings on the crops in the coming season; this is another opportunity to reflect on His goodness and faithfulness… Again, perhaps not of utmost importance, but a useful reminder…)

I don’t know how common this is in other churches, but I saw that a Roman Catholic church in the area was having a service last night, too…

Actually, January 1st is a Catholic holy day, commemorating the Circumcision of Jesus, which takes place when a Jewish male is eight days old. Jesus’ circumcision, the first time his blood was drawn, is seen as a prefiguration of the Crucifixion.