Dipping Apples into Honey in New Year's Worship

I've had my congregation come forward during the first Sunday in New Year's worship service to pick up an apple slice and dip it into honey.

I sliced apples and poured honey into a Communion-like Cup as I explained in a short sermon the symbolism of sweetness and its connection to metaphor of sweet wine, new life, wedding feast, Great Feast that this "Kingdom Meal" was intended to signal (and we too often celebrate as a funeral).

We talked about the metaphor of honey in the Bible:  Land flowing with milk and honey, honey as a symbol of abundant life, a symbol for the word, and honey's healing properties.

Here's a good article about "honey" in the Bible and what it tells us about God. https://www.thegospelcoalition...gods-goodness-honey/

Here's another good article titled "Ten Lessons from Bees About Serving God" that could form a nice encouragement at the start of a new year. https://hebrews12endurance.com...s-about-serving-god/

For reasons related to our tradition, some leaders in our church were not comfortable calling the dipping of apples into a cup with honey a "Communion" so we did not, but we walked right up to it! ...talking about the "Great Feast" imagery taught by the rabbis and Jesus himself which happens after the resurrection but which Jesus inaugurated in his life time. Read this article about it: https://www.jesuswalk.com/lords-supper/9_banquet.htm

The second year we did it we had "honey" cakes after worship and various things you could drip honey onto (bread sticks were popular with the kids). We also had "honey dippers" so that children wouldn't double-dip their items.  We also sprayed "fruit fresh" on the apples to keep them from browning before people got them, and had some "wet naps" for those who got honey on their fingers.

Here's an excerpt from Chabad.org about the meaning of apples dipped in honey at Rosh Hashanah , the Jewish New Year.

One of the classic symbols of Rosh Hashanah is the apple dipped in honey. On the night of Rosh Hashanah, after we have made kiddush, washed, and dipped the challah into honey,1 we dip a sweet apple into honey.2

Before eating the apple, we make the ha’etz blessing and then add:

Yeh-ee rahtz-on sheh-tih-kha-desh ah-lay-noo shah-nah to-vah oo-meh-too-kah—“May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.”

(I imagine some may think it's "cultural appropriation" to use apples and honey to celebrate a Christian New Year, but let's recall that the Lord's Supper itself is Jesus' and the Church's update on the Passover Meal).