In my church, we are distributing stones on New Year’s Day worship and encouraging members to “throw stones” in the tradition of Tashlikh for the New Year. This could also be a good youth or children’s activity.
Here are my notes on the subject.
The New Year’s Ritual of Tashlikh
“Tashlikh” is the Hebrew word for “throwing away”. It is a tradition in which we throw away our sins at the start of the new year, to make a fresh new beginning.
Tashlikh seems to have begun in Medieval times, as a practice in Jewish communities where after prayer, stones were thrown in a natural body of water on the afternoon of “Rosh Hashanah“–the Jewish New Year (which occurred in the fall for them, see note below). After prayer, participants would also shake their clothing to symbolically shake sins which have clung to them. Rabbis insisted the water be a natural body, preferably running, and contain fish.
It was described in the Mishnah, and based on Micah 7:19, “God will cover our sins, God will hurl all our sins into the depth of the sea.”
It also seems previewed in Ecclesiastes 3:5… “a time to scatter stones.”
Coincidentally, in the Letter to the Hebrews we read, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every weight that slows us down, and the sin that clings to us, and run the race with endurance that is set before us.”
Rosh Hashanah, following the Jewish calendar, takes place in the fall. As part of the celebration, worshippers dip apples into honey and recite a blessing, “Shana Tova Umetukah” –which is Hebrew for “A Good and Sweet Year.” (שנה טובה ומתוקה)
The date of New Years Day has varied widely throughout history. Some ancient cultures placed it in the Spring, others in the Fall. Many, like the Romans placed it after the winter solstice…which in the Julian and Gregorian calendars became January 1st. By the 17th Century most of Europe had followed suit.
The dating of New Years is rather irrelevant. The important thread is that God has given us time and ritual to remind us of what’s important.
-Neil
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A fun game about the reasons why we should worship and go to church.
FOLLOW UP:
We did this as the children’s sermon instead of a benediction. I explained it to the kids and then had them pass out stones to the congregation. We used smooth stones I collected from the beach.
FUTURE SERMON ILLUSTRATION:
When I went to throw my own sin-stone back into the ocean, I returned to the beach where we had collected the stones and gave it toss. It was such a powerful moment that when I looked down at my feet and saw more stones, I started picking up more stones and tossing them with a short prayer. After about a dozen stones I chuckled to myself thinking, “I could be there all day, and all night, and all the next day throwing my stones away to God.”
Thank you God for bringing this to my attention, and reminding me that Jesus is the rock of my salvation.