Bethany Village Pastor Bob Ashburn reflects on the coming year ahead.

There are some wonderful New Year’s traditions from all around the world that tell us different approaches to the occasion. In many countries, there’s a shared belief that specific actions taken on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day—or at the stroke of midnight when one becomes the other—can influence the fate of the months ahead.

In Spain, everyone eats 12 grapes at midnight so that they will have 12 months of good luck. In Great Britain, the First Footer tradition tells about the good luck that comes with the person who first sets foot in your home in the New Year. In Japan, people start to laugh at midnight because that is going to bring them good luck in the New Year. These traditions look forward to the future year, hoping that some ritual which is performed will bring about positive things.

There are also traditions that look to the past. In Hungary the people burn effigies, or a scapegoat known as "Jack Straw." The scapegoat represents the evils and misfortunes of the past year. Burning the effigy is supposed to get rid of the bad luck. This same practice is done in several countries of Central and South America. The meaning here is that the past is gone, so you will live only in the New Year.

As we begin a New Year with 2012, I invite you to combine some of the meaningfulness from each of these traditions. Look forward to a future of challenges and comforts. Don’t forget about those things in the past which have brought you this far. No matter what tradition you hold, spend time with friends and family. Share yourself. Then you will find that you will have a Happy New Year!