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!