New Year’s Day—a time for parades, football games, and, yes, New Year’s resolutions! But did you know that it was Julius Caesar who put January 1 on the calendar? Named for the god of beginnings, Janus, it was a time for offering sacrifices for success in the coming year. In more modern times, in 1740, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, began conducting Covenant Renewal Services on New Year’s Eve.
They became known as “watch-night” services, for prayer and making “resolutions” for the year ahead. In one of John Wesley’s sermons he said: “Let me be homo unius libri . . . the man of one Book”—for Wesley it was a life-long resolution. In this coming year, we invite you to engage with the Bible—this book of all books!
They became known as “watch-night” services, for prayer and making “resolutions” for the year ahead. In one of John Wesley’s sermons he said: “Let me be homo unius libri . . . the man of one Book”—for Wesley it was a life-long resolution. In this coming year, we invite you to engage with the Bible—this book of all books!
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