The Roots
of Resolutions

This week’s eNewsletter feature
was written by Rev. Raymond Hylton,
First Pres senior pastor.

Greetings!

I am not sure who to believe on this, but the practice of making New Year’s resolutions supposedly started some 4,000 years ago with the Babylonians. Their year started not in January, but in March, when crops were planted. A new beginning. For their fresh start, ancient Babylonians believed that the gods would prosper them if they repaid their debts by that time and returned borrowed property.
 
Other sources say New Year's resolutions really started with the reform-minded Julius Caesar. In honor of the two-faced Roman god Janus, Romans of the pre-Christian era selected January because Janus's faces looked back on the past and forward to the future. Roman citizens offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.
 
In the 18th century, John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created Covenant Renewal services, commonly held on New Year's Eve. Wesley was concerned with the bacchanalian celebrations of many people on New Year's Eve night. These services became popular worldwide in various denominations, particularly among African American congregations. Today, they are commonly called Watch Night services.
 
For me, it really doesn't matter if the Babylonians, Romans, or the Wesley brothers were the ones who created New Year's resolutions.

My reason for marking the start of a New Year comes from Psalm 90:12: So teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.