There are plenty of Christian groups out there which aren’t too big on celebrating, and, especially given the fact that New Year’s Day is a secular holiday, many don’t participate in any New Year’s festivities. That’s fine with me. I’m not going to argue that Christians must celebrate the new year. However, I do believe there are quite a few good reasons to celebrate this New Year’s Eve, and I’ve listed them here for your consideration.

Celebration can be an act of worship.
Christians should celebrate differently from the rest of the world. Instead of partying because we’re hedonists who have nothing better to do but escape our unsatisfying lives, get drunk, and act stupid, we party to the glory of God, thanking Him for all he has given us. In other words, instead of celebrating because the world is bad, we celebrate because God is good. The New Year offers us an opportunity to thank Jesus for the past year; we can look back on what God has done in our lives and reflect upon his faithfulness. Furthermore, we may ask God to bless the upcoming year and invite the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and mature us. 

Celebration is good for the health of the community.
When we gather and celebrate together, we are promoting unity in the Body of Christ. Not only is this glorifying to God, but it greatly benefits our fellowship. We may involve prayer, Scripture reading, or the singing of hymns in our celebration, and even spending time playing games, watching movies, or drinking good beer can be ways to build each other up. While this is not a replacement for more serious times of fellowship devoted to study, prayer and meaningful conversation, celebrating together is certainly a good thing when done to the glory of God!

Celebration is a part of our mission.
While celebration can’t make up all of our evangelistic activities, it can be a helpful part of our witness to nonbelievers. When the world sees us celebrating, it should see something different. Our hope is in Christ, the victorious king; therefore, we have true reason to celebrate. Our celebration in itself is a means of proclaiming the kingdom of God. People should see our true joy and wonder about its Source. Furthermore, by bringing nonbelievers to our celebrations, we can build relationships and introduce them to the rest of the community. 

Celebration, then, is one way to glorify God, edify one another, and preach the gospel. If the New Year presents us with such an opportunity, why should we pass it up? I always hear Christians complaining about how the secular world has taken over religious holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Why can’t we, as Christians, take a secular holiday and use it for the glory of God?