MULTITRACKS
SUNDAY IS COMING | Jesse Schaefer
Many of us have heard S . M . Lockridge ’ s famous sermon where he proclaims , “ It ’ s Friday … but Sunday ’ s coming .” Lockridge paints a picture juxtaposing the realities Jesus ’ disciples were experiencing the three days before Easter alongside the hope we have in the Resurrection .
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 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 comin ’
In a similar fashion , Bob Goff puts it this way ; “ Darkness fell , His friends scattered , hope seemed lost - But heaven just started counting to three .” The gospel serves as a constant source of hope in our most difficult times . Though if we ’ re honest with ourselves , this is a reality that is often easier spoken than internalized .
“ Darkness fell , His friends scattered , hope seemed lost - But heaven just started counting to three .” - Bob Goff
For most of us , the ways in which we ’ ve operated as churches has changed drastically in the last two years . From the entire world getting a crash course in live streaming , to new life patterns , to all the ways the lives of our congregants have changed in regard to work , health , and family . We ’ ve experienced more than our fair share of distraction and weight on our day-to-day life . It is natural for so many of us to feel the burden of presenting the gospel under such circumstances . It can seem like there is just too much preoccupying the church milieu to even focus on being reminded of the goodness of God . But … Sunday ’ s coming .
So , as we plan for Easter , we have two challenges to take on . One , how do we cut through our personal share of the weight we ’ re all feeling to be able to plan our services and communicate the gospel effectively and genuinely ? And two , what is the best way to present that gospel to a congregation full of people who are experiencing the same level of weight and distraction ? The truth is … it will take significant effort . It will take constant reminders of why we do what we do and the hope we have . And it will take the support and effort of those laboring alongside us in our churches .
So often our inclination is to avoid the negative . The gospel is such good news , why spoil it by placing too much emphasis on anything negative ? After all , in comparison to the gospel there is not any single thing that could detract from the fact that it is literally the greatest news for the entirety of creation . Right ?
While the above statement is absolutely and unequivocally true , here we all are , on earth , in communities , living our lives , and being affected by the harsh difficulties of today ’ s day-to-day