In about 37.5 hours we will all be with friends ringing in the New Year. Celebrating the end of another year, and anticipating the start of a new one. Remembering all the best things you did in 2007, you might have loud noisemakers and a give a booming cheer, throw some high fives, do the fist pump, hug some people, eat with friends, with lots of smiles in between. A celebration. A party. A git-down.

About a month ago was the biggest party in Saskatchewan in the past twenty years. People were up and down the streets, some of them unclothed. A large group gathered at Vic and Albert, cheering, singing, hugging, dancing, but most importantly, high-fiving. Thousands and thousands of people ran into groups of strangers, threw a few high fives, and kept going. Hands were cold, frostbitten with broken blood vessels. A celebration for the ages, enhanced with the best high fives ever.

Throughout the decades, man has celebrated in many different ways. The ’50s brought us the handshake. The ’70s, the hug. The ’80s and ’90s, the high fiver. The ’00s brought us the fist pound, but the high fiver is on it’s way up again. It could be called classic and timeless member of the celebration family.

Lots of people think that our weekly communion is the most important part of the church service, and that if we miss it we are missing the most important part of the week and we will be troubled throughout the upcoming next week. Communion has never made much sense to me. When I was a kid and watched the ’emblems’ pass around while I sat unnourished and parched, and watched the old people nibble the cracker, take a shot of fake wine and bow their heads for a moment of silence, usually to remember the death of Jesus, I just didn’t get it. I still don’t get it.  We take what most people feel is the most important part of their week, to take a few depressing moments alone, eyes closed, take some emblems to remind us of the death of Jesus. The Death of Jesus… why that part?

The bible says that if Christ had not risen from the dead, then our preaching is useless, and our faith is futile.  If this is the case, then we need to look at communion in a new way. Sure the death of Jesus is something we need to remember, it shows his incredible passion and love for us. But if we stop there, then we are basically denouncing our own faith. We have to remember the resurrection, or else the rest is for naught. If we remember that Jesus rose from the dead, then there is no reason to sit in depressing quiet solitude. It gives us reason to celebrate. Party. Like it is November ’07 again. We should high five friends, bring noisemakers to rattle, give a booming cheer, hug complete strangers, pump the fist, and maybe throwdown a little dance. If we remember what was intended to remember, God’s incredible passion and love for us, shown to us through his incredible power of the resurrection, then we will have no choice but to throw the giant highfiver. Because nothing beats a good high five.