Good Riddance Day

Amanda Geffner reporting for Fox5NY said, “Saying farewell to yesterday might be a challenge for some, but not for the numerous New Yorkers who bid a traditional farewell to [each year] in Times Square ahead of the big New Year's Eve celebration. At each annual Good Riddance Day…, bad memories are burned – literally.

Good Riddance Day is inspired by a Latin American tradition in which New Year’s revelers stuffed dolls with objects representing bad memories before setting them on fire.

In Times Square, attendees wrote down their bad memories on pieces of paper. ‘COVID,’ ‘Cancer,’ ‘Our broken healthcare system,’ ‘Spam calls and emails,’ ‘Bad coffee,’ and ‘Single Use Plastics,’ were some of the entries.

Every December 28th, this event gives people the opportunity to write down everything they want to leave in the past and destroy any unpleasant, unhappy, and unwanted memories – so that they can toss them into an incinerator and watch them vanish.”

While that may have some symbolic meaning, which may help a person in some kind of esoteric way, the truth remains that there is really only one way to deal with our past painful memories or consequences of sin. It is to give them over to Jesus who is merciful and compassionate. In fact, Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us, “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!” (CSB)

As you enter the new year what are some things that you simply need to leave behind? Things that have become weights upon your soul and your spiritual well-being. As the writer of Hebrews put it, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1, ESV)

And while you’re leaving some things behind, why not also consider what things need to be added to your life in order to realign it, if necessary, with God’s will. Things like my current sermon series is addressing, Worship, Discipleship, and Stewardship. These are not burdens to carry out, they are soul strengthening disciplines that we clothe ourselves in so that we can effectively run the race appointed to us by Christ. So, in this new year, I encourage you to contemplate what to leave behind and what to take on and do so with the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Thank you Ridgecrest… for your recent generosity toward our annual Reach the World Offering. You gave a record breaking $200,000 plus which has already blessed our mission partnerships. The work of God will flourish, and lives will be changed because you gave!

Sign Up starts Sunday for the next semesters of RAD, Man Church, and Kingdom women. You will find the various registrations located in our Welcome Center. Also remember this Sunday we begin our new once a month Discover Ridgecrest class in the Parlor at 9:45. If you are new or you’ve been here for a while and want to know more about who we are, our mission, and our ministries, this meeting will help inform and inspire you… you don’t have to sign up, just show up. And remember, God is always trying to take us someplace new. I love being your Pastor!

For God’s Glory Alone,
Pastor Ray