I strongly believed that if African Americans are going to celebrate a holiday it should be New Year’s Eve... I think it should be more important to us as a people than the 4th of July...our history teaches that on December 31,1862 the black community would gather in churches and private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law....so at the stroke of midnight January 1, all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free.....so when the news was received, there were
prayers,
shouts and
songs of joy as people fell to their knees and thanked God.....black folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year's Eve ever since, praising God for bringing us safely through another year....historically on Dec. 31, most black congregations, use that services as the start of their devotion service for the year ahead....
Fast forward to today church where the focus have move from God to
big name stars....the watch night services has been abandoned pretty much for big name stars and a party atmosphere....gone are the historically,
''covenant services'' in which church members would/could reaffirm their faith to the God who brought them out....gone are the personal testimony's of how God open doors that was once close....gone are the testimony of what the Lord did for others, he can do for you...gone are the God of our weary years....gone are the God of our silent tears.
