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“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now … It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,[d] for all of you share in God’s grace[e] with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” – Philippians 1:3-5, 7
When the Scots came to the new world, they brought with them their love of Presbyterianism, single malt, parsimony, and the new poetry of the young Robert Burns. One of Robert Burns contributions to our shared cultural catalogue is the song we sing as year succeeds to year: Should auld acquaintance be forgot… Ever the Scot, Burns wouldn’t speak of gathered friends without a nod to strong drink, and he even references the Scots legendary frugality in a lesser known verse: And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! And surely I’ll buy mine! And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
Old Long Since. That would be the literal translation of the Scots language folk song crooned by millions of champagne fortified revelers with little to no understanding of or even interest in what it means or why they’re singing it. Auld Lang Syne. A looser but more accessible rendering would be – For the sake of old times. A song about the reminiscence of old friends recalling shared experiences of long ago, like old ball players reliving the glory days of youth, seems an odd sentiment to inaugurate a new year. However, it is often in the laughter evoked among old friends retelling old tales that we are reminded that life is indeed a gift best celebrated through the relationships, friendships, and loves that sustain us. So, maybe remembering good times shared helps us to prioritize those relationships in the new year.
In addition to giving us the how-tos of relationship, Paul’s letters often reveal how significant his own friendships are for him. I thank my God every time I remember you … because you hold me in your heart. The new year will bring us quotas, objectives, deadlines, and obligations which can easily usurp our attention, but let us not neglect the relationships that give our lives meaning, no matter who pays for the pint. Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Absolutely not, for such are the gifts of God.
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