As the year 2023 comes to a close and 2024 approaches, it seems appropriate to examine some of the practices that are often associated with a new calendar year.
Dry January
Dry January was started in the UK by Emily Robinson, who signed up for a half marathon in 2011, wanting to get fit and healthy. She knew it would be hard to undergo the necessary training if she continued drinking the same amount of alcohol she was accustomed to, so she decided to quit drinking for the month of January. ( The half marathon was in February). When she joined Alcohol Change UK in 2012, she thought it would be a good idea to start a national campaign encouraging people to abstain from alcohol in January. Emily states that the aim in the early days was to change the conversations around alcohol, such as focusing on the benefits of abstinence. In this video, Emily and Dr. Richard Piper, Chief Executive of Alcohol Change UK, talk about the origin and growth of the Dry January campaign, as well as the beneficial impact that abstaining from alcohol has on physical and mental health. Since the first campaign in 2013, Dry January has now spread to several other countries, including the US.
Health benefits of abstaining from alcohol
Research has shown that reported benefits of participation in Dry January include better sleep, increased energy, better health and weight loss, in addition to cost savings. George Koob, PhD, Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), writes that participation in Dry January provides the opportunity to cultivate alternatives for socializing and coping with stress. He also provides some useful tips in this blog post. Of note, Dry January is not recommended for individuals with alcohol use disorder, for whom medically supervised withdrawal is recommended. (Sudden abstinence in such individuals could lead to serious complications, including seizures).
Where will you be at the start of the new year?
Moving from the health sphere to the church environment, there are a variety of observances related to the New Year in church settings. Some churches have midnight services to ring in the new year, and members are encouraged to be in church to “start the New Year in God’s presence” (as if God is any less present outside of the physical church building – but that’s a separate discussion). These services are often referred to as “watchnight” or “crossover” services. In some churches, the pastors will announce “prophecies” regarding the coming year. These tend to be very generic and of course, very positive. (“You will get a job promotion, new house, new car, etc, etc, etc.”) This brings us to the next topic – giving of “first fruit” offerings.
First fruits – sacrificial giving or manipulation?
Photo by Blogging Guide on Unsplash
Fortunately, I have never been in a church that taught the concept of giving first fruit offerings, and I only heard about this concept fairly recently. Some churches teach that people are supposed to give their full salary for the month of January as their “first fruit” offering. This fits in with the prosperity gospel where people are encouraged to keep giving their money to the church and just “trust God” to provide their needs. They are made to believe that somehow the fact that they are tithing and giving sacrificially guarantees that God will bless them and protect them from evil. Asking people to give their salary for the month of January is a whole other level of exploitation. Unfortunately, there are so many people who have bought into this and can’t seem to see that they are being manipulated. My heart breaks when I remember the story narrated by a You Tube commentator about a Nigerian woman who lost her husband suddenly and, in her anguish, stated, “He had just paid his first fruits!”. I wasn’t able to confirm this story, but it demonstrates a belief in the idea that giving first fruit offerings confers divine protection. The woman must have really believed her husband should have been protected from “premature death” since he had given a “first fruit” offering. There are verses in the Bible that refer to “first fruits”, but nowhere are we instructed to give a month’s salary to the church, and there is no guarantee of protection or financial prosperity in return for giving. We are instructed to give as we are able, and cheerfully so.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)
Closing thoughts
What are you giving up this January? Alcohol or your salary? If it’s the former, good for you and best wishes! If you are thinking of the latter, please think again and ask yourself if the church will pay your bills for the month when they are due. I certainly will not be giving away my entire income for the month of January – I have bills to pay! Let’s make this the year of critical thinking!
Happy New Year!
For more thoughts on making wise choices, check out my devotional book:
Living Foolproof! Wisdom for Daily Living, available on Amazon!
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