NEW YEAR’S 2009
By derrick Stahl
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New Year’s Day, 2009 A.D.
12:08 AM
New York City, USA
Mike Kanes sat in his one bedroom apartment, an arm draped around the shoulders of his new girlfriend. Although miles away from Times Square, Mike can still hear the shouts from the crowd gathered there.
Was Ryan Seacrest hosting that show again? Mike thought he had heard the infamous “Seacrest out!” … but he wasn’t sure. The past hour or so was kind of a blur.
He looked at the coffee table. Six beers—no, wait—eight—twelve? Hang on, how many coffee tables do I have?
Oh, who cares? That’s the point of New Year’s anyway, right? Throw a little party, get a little drunk … see how many different girls you can make out with …
Wait … did I just say that out loud?
“Hey, baby, where you goin’? Fine, get out! Slam the door, see if I care! Your sister’s hotter anyway.”
He shook his head. “Great. Just great.”
What was that all about? Mike stood on unstable legs, stumbling across the apartment to wash his face in the bathroom sink. He glanced in the mirror. The man staring back at him looked as if he’d seen better days. Matted hair, bloodshot eyes, flushed cheeks.
“You ready for the new year?” he asked the reflection. No answer.
“It’s okay.” He laughed to himself, unconvinced. “Today is a new start. Maybe I can finally get out of this crummy apartment … cut back on the alcohol a little …” He looked down the hallway to the recently slammed door. “… Find myself a new girlfriend.”
Besides, a year from now none of this is going to matter. Will he even remember the girl’s name? Will anyone from the apartment building remember him?
That’s the only thing New Year’s is good for anyway. Turn over a new leaf. Start fresh. Out with the old! The man staring back at him from the mirror didn’t seem impressed. New year, new starting point. Nothing more.
Right?
New Year’s Day, 1012 A.D.
Sunrise
Mesoamerica, Mexico
The young Mayan scribe pulled a pen from his headdress, dipping the tip in a clay inkpot. He started to draw on the parchment before him. He copies, line by line, the Long Count calendar the elders of his tribe had come up with.
He takes pride in his work, knowing his calendar will serve as a warning to the coming generations. His people are running out of time.
But this is the beginning of a new year. He has a new chance to study the night sky. The priests will study the stars with him, and maybe even use his calendar to help decide if the current celestial bodies are deserving of a ceremony.
This new year will bring an increase of human sacrifices. The gods must be appeased if his people are to receive rain and other blessings.
The Mayan stopped his writing long enough to watch the sun finally pull itself free from the sea’s horizon. He smiled. It will be a beautiful day to start off the new year.
The young scribe dipped his pen in the ink again and continued to write. In exactly one thousand years, the days of his calendar come to an end. The order of the world shall be forever changed on that date.
Will the people of that time take heed to his warnings? In a thousand years, will anyone even remember him … or still look upon his calendar for guidance?
Until then, he can use each new year to try and warn his people. He can use each new year to study the moon and stars. He can use each of his remaining years trying to please the gods. That’s what the new year is about.
Right?
New Year’s Day, 1 A.D.
Midnight
Bethlehem, Israel
Joseph, son of Jacob, knelt by a small mat on the floor, cramming the last of his extra clothing into a bag. A world-wide census had forced he and his wife to travel to Bethlehem a few weeks back. Since then Joseph had been able to locate a cousin who had a house inside the town, and who was willing to open up a room for he and Mary.
… And the Baby! Joseph thought to himself. There are three of us now. Not just two anymore. Joseph looked over at his wife, sleeping on a nearby mat … a tiny bundle wrapped in her arms.
His virgin wife had given birth to a son shortly after arriving. And things only got weirder from there!
Joseph finished with the last bag and carried it to the front of the house. He secured it to the side of a donkey standing just outside the front door. He patted the beast on the nose, feeling sorry for the poor creature. He knew the donkey was overloaded, but he didn’t have very many options.
Sweat ran down the sides of his face, causing his beard to stick to his cheeks and neck. He sacrificed a few moments, allowing the cool night breeze to calm his nerves.
The donkey nudged Joseph’s elbow, bringing him back to reality. He took a few deep breaths before heading back inside. Glancing around the room, Joseph searches one last time for anything he might have overlooked during his rushed packing. His eyes stopped as he looked down at his disheveled cot.
He thought back to the dream that had awakened him. He remembered the fear he had when first seeing the angel. The warning he was given. The urgency in the messenger’s voice. “Flee to Egypt! The Child’s life is in danger!”
Joseph knelt down by Mary, gently touching her face. She looked into his eyes, immediately knowing something was wrong. Standing, she gathered the Child close. As her husband led her to the front of the house, Mary glanced back toward the upper rooms. She wondered if Joseph had told his family they had to leave so suddenly. Hopefully they would understand.
Within moments the house, and the town itself, were disappearing into the shadows of night. The donkey was loaded with expensive, yet very heavy, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, so Mary walked alongside, carrying the Baby across her breast.
Joseph glanced back, and she could see the worry etched on his face.
“God is with us,” she assured him.
Joseph smiled at her. What a new year this was becoming. He had a new wife, a new child … and soon … a new hometown somewhere in Egypt! New Year’s is all about starting over, starting fresh! But if he remembered the Prophets correctly, this new year would only be the beginning. His new son would grow up to be the deliverer of Israel. The covenant between man and God, established in Moses’ time, would be altered forever … due to the events that started to take place this New Year’s.
But there were a few things Joseph did not realize.
He failed to see that Time itself would be divided upon this New Year. All events prior would be known as “things that happened Before Christ.” And anything after this night will be known as “things that happened in the Year of Our Lord.”
The Child his wife carried will serve as a warning for His people. They already knew of the coming Judgment, but He will show them the Way through it. He will offer His body as a Bridge to fill the gap between His people and God.
No longer will the nations have to sacrifice, trying to please the starry hosts. Because under this new covenant, the One who made the stars will be a sacrifice for the nations!
No longer will someone have to suffer the indignity of trying to forget that dark side of the leaf they were flipping over. Because now, that dark, dirty side of them cannot only be forgotten … but forgiven. “Starting fresh” pales in comparison to being “born again.”
Joseph tightened his grip on the donkey’s lead, guiding it around some loose gravel on the dirt road. He glanced back to his wife and the Child once again.
Will anyone remember his family’s plight two thousand years from now? Will the future generations look back at his newborn son and take heed of His warnings? Will they believe in Him to be their Deliverer?
In two thousand years, will anyone even remember his son’s name … or will they call upon it to be saved? Will people thank God for this very special New Year’s? Because not only does this night represent the beginning of a “new start,” it can mean the beginning of a “new life,” through Jesus Christ.
After all, that’s what New Year’s is all about.
Right?
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