Mike Huckabee’s post today is a keeper….
It’s Easter weekend and a great time to be reminded of one of the most wonderful sermons I ever heard. It was first delivered by Shadrach Meshach Lockridge, who from 1952 until 1993 was pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of San Diego. Dr. S. M. Lockridge preached all over the world. He was without a doubt one of the greatest communicators of the Gospel in all of Christendom. His creative and soaring capacity for painting pictures with words was surpassed only by his spell-binding delivery. This amazing black pastor and renowned spiritual giant often spoke at Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism and at conferences around the world. His message of Easter was one I heard on tape back in the 1970’s. I never forgot it. To this day it rings true to my soul. No one can deliver it like Dr. S. M. Lockridge, but as we observe Easter weekend, I want to share with you an excerpt from his unforgettable message:
It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’!
—
It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’!
—
It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’!
—
It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’!
—
It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’!
—
It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning.
—
It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals.
—
It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’!
It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’!
—
It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?
Ooooh
It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’!
—
It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit.
—
It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’.
—
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place.
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!
I will never get over the simplicity of Dr. Lockridge’s vivid reminder that the final chapter of our lives is not the one written by the pain and looming disasters of our Fridays. In your life, there is maybe a Friday you face. A doctor’s report that has you facing a long path to recovery or perhaps a long path to the end of life. You may be facing a broken relationship that you are unable to repair. You may be faced with the death of a family member or dear friend with whom you were inseparable. You may be overwhelmed with the guilt of a sin committed that you can’t forgive yourself for. The burden of financial ruin may have destroyed your peace and left you with fear. For you, it’s certainly Friday. But as Dr. Lockridge reminds us, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.”
That is the message of Easter. When it seems as though God has moved and left no forwarding address; that He has abandoned us to our sorrow and suffering; when we feel there is no real reason for us to keep living or even to keep trying…just remember that it’s only Friday…and Sunday is coming. The story of Jesus didn’t end on Friday. Sunday came. And the Jesus that came out of the grave when he overcame death itself hasn’t forgotten you either. The stone wasn’t rolled away to let Him out; it was rolled away to let you see in and know that Friday wasn’t the end of the story. And Sunday was just the beginning!