Nostalgia (part 3) - Something Old, Something New

everystockphoto.com/Happy New Year!

New Years Eve ... New Years Day 

These are holidays in which we may look back and look ahead.   Something old ... something new.  For a sampling of each, here are a few musings from Bible verses and videos clips that emphasize the "holy" in the holidays.

First,

The Old ... 

The Good Old Days can bring feelings of nostalgia.  Even Moses gave instructions to the children of Israel to remember the past and pass on their stories to the new generation:

Remember the days of old;
consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,

your elders, and they will explain to you.
Deuteronomy 32:7 (NIV)

Yet, some of this remembrance can also bring a sense of sadness, such as reflected in this song that often resurfaces at the end of the year:

(reference: http://youtu.be/sT_aKiRNm-A) 

The sentiment behind the lyrics of this song has been around for some time.  For its history, check out:  Story of Those Were the Days

Likewise several generations after Moses, when the children of Israel were captive in Babylon, they became sad when they thought of the good old days:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

    when we remembered Zion.

Psalm 137:1 (NIV)

But the second chance, a fresh start, can give rise to optimism and happiness.  With the change of the calendar year, we may  look forward to

The New ...

The new is part of the vision of God's plan of the universe.  It's a time that people of faith may look forward when the old world of suffering will come to pass and all things will be new again:

See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.

Isaiah 65:17 (NIV)

And in this life, the pursuit of happiness encompasses the "new" like the wonder of a child, who continues to explore, learning, seeking ... as seen below:

(reference:  http://youtu.be/-oflLvqnKqM)

And that is a cause for joy, especially for those of faith:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) 

And this traditional song connects

The Old and the New ...

As New Years Eve turns to New Years Day, after the stroke of midnight, many sing this old song that rings in the New Year:
 :

(reference:  http://youtu.be/GxSqMbsHeJ8 )

And for a fresh start, a second chance, a new life, may we ...

Sing to the Lord a new song,

for he has done marvelous things

his right hand and his holy arm

    have worked salvation for him.

Psalm 98:1 (NIV)

Happy New Year!

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Previous posts in this series:

Nostalgia (part 1) - A Father's Thanksgiving Prayer  (2014)

Nostalgia (part 2) - Christmas Past in War and Peace (2014)

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Photo from:  everystockphoto.com/Happy New Year!