Thursday, January 1, 2026

It is the 1st of January 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Holy Moley! Twenty SIX?!? But it was just 2020… welp, our new year is May 1st, when we began this show back in 2019… but today is a new year according to the Gregorian Calendar- I’d assume most of you are on this one, but maybe you observe other calendars for cultural or business reasons.

Being that this is a momentous day on the calendar, I thought I would give you the five things that happened on this day that changed the history of the church. Why not.

#5. It was on this day in 1519 that Huldrych Zwingli began his work as a priest in Zurich at the Grossmunster. But, as you may have heard the story, when he ascended the stairs to the pulpit on this day, he did not take with him the assigned texts for the day- the “lectionary” readings. Instead, he began to preach with the text being Matthew 1:1. His desire was to preach through the entire text, not just the assigned texts. This would be known as a lectio continua- a continuous preaching through the text- something that has become standard in many evangelical and Reformation churches today.

#4 It was on this day in 1622 that the Gregorian Calendar heralded a new year on January 1st for the first time. As you might imagine on a show called “the almanac” we are fascinated with how we count the days- the lunar calendar gave way to the solar, the solar under Julius Caesar sets the stage for the Roman west and then Pope Gregory XIII implemented his 365 1/4 days with a leap year (so our seasons and the sun would stay in sync). 10 Days had to be added there in the 1580s for Catholic countries that adopted the new calendar, and by 1622, the 1st of January became the standard new year. 

#3- It was on this day in 1802 that Thomas Jefferson, a prominent non-Christian, wrote his famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut. Throughout the election, John Adams warned of the howling atheist, Jefferson, and the threats to religious freedom his presidency would have. To assuage them Jefferson would write “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions”. This would constitute the so-called “wall of separation” between Church and State which since the 1960s has been constitutional precedent.  

#2 We head to January 1st, 1832, for this event- it was in Kentucky at the Hill Street Church- a gathering to dedicate a new meeting house- the speakers were Barton Stone and “Raccoon” John Smith. This is in the aftermath of the Cane Ridge revivals- the dissolution of a number of Presbyterian churches and the emergence of two groups- one, following Stone called “the Christian Church” and another, following Alexander Campbell, called “the Disciples”  would unite- this “restorationist” movement- this “Stone Campbell Movement” would birth the Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ.

And then, finally, we’ve been going in chronological order- but we go all the way back for this one: the 1st of January is also the 8th day since Christmas. And this would be the day of the circumcision of Jesus. This is of great theological significance- Jesus fulfilling the law- but as moderns became less and less comfortable with circumcision talk, today has also been celebrated as the feast of the Holy Name, as it was customary on the 8th day to both circumcise and name the young male. As Calendars and traditions vary, the naming and name of Jesus is celebrated on different days- but Anglicans and Lutherans, at least, unite on this one today.

From Zwingli to Jefferson, the Churches of Christ formed, and the blood of Christ was first shed- in church tradition- on this, the 1st day of the year (at least since 1622).

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Revelation 21:

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”  for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’  or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 1st of January 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite New Year's tradition? Not shaving… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who is headed off to winter camp to be a speaker today… let’s see what happens. Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.