"It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin'!"

My Summer 101 series will return next Friday. Today we remember the ultimate sacrifice of the Cross.


The great Tony Campolo loves to share the story of the sermon he once heard preached on Good Friday in a Philadelphia church.  The pastor would tell a fact about the events of the day of Jesus' crucifixion, and then remind the congregation "but that was Friday...and Sunday's coming!" By the conclusion of the service the pastor was just screaming"FRIDAY," and the crowd would reply "SUNDAY'S COMING!!!" I once wrote a responsive reading for an Easter sunrise service using those words.  Here is part of that reading:
Reader:  It was Friday, and my Jesus was nailed to a cross.
Congregation:  But that was Friday...and Sunday's coming!
Reader:  It was Friday, and the guards gambled for Jesus' robe.
Congregation:  But that was Friday...and Sunday's coming!
Reader:  It was Friday, and the veil of the Temple was torn in two, and the sky turned as black as coal, and all the people were afraid.
Congregation:  But that was Friday...and Sunday's coming!
Reader:  It was Friday, and they rolled the stone in front of Jesus' tomb.
Congregation:  But that was Friday...and Sunday's coming!
Reader:  It was Friday, and the hope of the world seemed lost.  Peter had denied Him.  The others had deserted Him.  All they had worked for seemed for naught.
Congregation:  But that was Friday...and Sunday's coming!
Reader:  It was Friday, and my Jesus lay cold and dead.
Congregation:  But that was Friday...and SUNDAY'S COMING!!!

The congregation was encouraged to grow louder each time they responded, because "Sunday's Coming!" were not just words; they were a promise from Jesus.  Today, as we stare into the abyss of Good Friday, we must do it to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  We do it so we understand that the grace of God that wraps us in His love was not cheaply obtained. We do it because when Jesus uttered the words "it is finished" from the cross, he didn't mean his life was done.  A better translation is "it is accomplished!"  He meant that sin had been beaten and that death had been "swallowed up in victory!"  Our separation from God was OVER!   And we do it because we- those who believe and follow the Christ-  know that this is only Friday...only a part of the story, not the end...and SUNDAY'S COMING!!!  Resurrection Day is on the way!!!!


Because of Jesus,