Every Easter, audio from SM Lockridge’s famous Easter message makes its rounds on social media: It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming. And, for good reason. It’s a powerful message, masterfully done, that builds at the right pace, engaging the heart and mind about the resurrection. In fact, if you haven’t listened to it before you need to stop what you’re doing right now and listen.
There is no doubt that we ought to get excited on Easter weekend. We ought to rejoice in the fact that Sunday is coming; that the grave could not hold the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We should be filled with joy at the thought of the resurrection and worshiping with God’s people on Easter Sunday.
Yet, the refrain that kept popping in my head this past Easter Sunday was: It’s Sunday, but Monday’s Coming. What am I going to do with the truth that I’ve been celebrating? What are you going to do with the powerful truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? It is no accident that Matthew and Luke’s gospel don’t end with the resurrection. The resurrection isn’t the end of the story, instead they end with the Great Commission to push us forward. Matthew 28:18-20: “18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Similarly, Luke ends with these words: “46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47). Finally, we also know that as the gospel accounts end, Acts begins. There, we watch the church form and the power of the resurrection echo out into the world through the proclamation of the gospel.
In the same way, don’t let Easter be the end of the story in your life. We need to be reminded daily of our desperate need for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Furthermore, we are part of the ongoing story. After his resurrection and before his ascension to the Father, Jesus sent the disciples on a mission to make disciples. That mission continues in our lives today as we seek to proclaim the gospel to our lost friends, coworkers, and family members. It continues as we seek to walk together in the local church and disciple one another through the truth of God’s Word. In fact, I would say that we haven’t truly celebrated or grasped the significance of the resurrection if we’re not actively on board with the mission Jesus gave us when he rose from the grave.
So, praise the Lord, that Friday wasn’t the end of the story. Praise the Lord that we can say, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming.” But, let’s also grasp the truth that Sunday isn’t the end of the story either. It’s Sunday, but Monday is coming. What are we going to do with this good news?