Many Methodists and African Churches observe Watch Night on New Year’s Eve, “Such extended services were initially observed in Methodist societies several times a year, but over time came to be held on the night of Dec. 31 and into the early hours of Jan. 1. They were a way for Methodist society members to put behind whatever beset them in the old year and make a strong spiritual start to the new year. This kind of Watch Night practice spread well beyond Methodism and became a hallmark of many Black church traditions in the United States.” (https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-how-may-united-methodists-observe-january-1)
The idea of a night where you essentially shed the last year and make a strong spiritual commitment for the new year is appealing, like a Christian New Year’s Resolution. That said, making covenants or resolutions can be disappointing because we do not keep them. Rather I think a better use of Watch Night would be to sit in prayer with candles or whatever you fancy with The Lord, and purge the bad of the last year, grieve, shout, and even make a list or one thing on a index card and burn it away. To have a tangible moment to rather than on Thanksgiving give thanks for blessings make a list of all the tribulations, torments, pain, loss, and hardships and audibly acknowledge them and let The Comforter do some comforting of your heart as you face them. I an not claiming this will fully heal wounds, but I think it could help after another hard year. To take those disappointments, darkness, and deep moments of suffering and loss and acknowledge them and process them; to take all the bad news, traumas, and hurt acknowledge it sucks. I mean if say a family member was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, you will still be facing that in 2024, but to take a moment to say how that hurt so much, this new traumatic change, is I believe a healthy thing to do. Making a covenant with God to be more devoted or pray more I think isn’t as important. Grand gestures is not what Christ is looking for, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:33-37). Jesus is not a demanding God, He wants you to not feel burdened with oaths, gestures, and resolutions. Just simply say yes or do it in the moment. Declaring “this year I shall read Scripture more! So I covenant or pledge!” is recipe for failure. You turn something into a heavy burden, when Jesus is about easy yokes, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I think a better use of Watch Night is to talk about, pray out loud or write list of all you have face this year of 2023. Do it in private with Lord Trinity, or if what you have to share is not too sensitive do it with others like in grief recovery group style setting in your congregation, and share your burdens, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2). It may that even someone in the congregation that you share with can help ease your burden in some way. Amen.
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