Friday's here... but Sunday's comin!

The title of this blog is one of my favorites for Easter. I heard Tony Campolo preach more than ten years ago about a "preach off" he had with another minister at an African-American church.  "Friday's here...but Sunday's comin" the other minister said in a deep rumbling voice. Friday's here...hardship, poverty, confusion, war, suffering, pain...but Sunday's comin.

Today as I think about Easter, I find it hard to dwell on the suffering of Christ. My mind tends to gloss over all the horrific details of what he endured and to fast forward to his exultant resurrection. Good Friday comes each year without so much as a few prayers before the details of Easter: the dinner, the egg hunts, and festivities take over. "Christ the Lord is risen today" is sung with joy and exultation, as it should be, but have I really understood the resurrection of our Lord without stopping to consider his crucifixion?

In the same way, I wonder if we actually understand the deep significance of "Sunday's comin" for ourselves. As the preacher preached, whatever you are facing right now, no matter how difficult or painful, belonging to Jesus means that He has a glorious end plan for us. Yes, heaven awaits us, but somehow everything we experience and endure is an important piece in God's plan for us and our world. Did you get that? Your life is an important piece in God's great redemptive plan for the world!

When Jesus suffered and died for us, He bridged the great impenetrable chasm between us and God.  Our lives are connected to the greatest love story ever. Nothing should be glossed over or disconnected, yet we often think in those terms. We think, "God is up there and I'm down here." "God, where are you?". We think and see in small disjointed pieces and we forget the glue: Jesus.

This Easter, my prayer is that you would think about Jesus' suffering as part of your own love story and that you would think about your life as part of God's great love story. It's all one reality. We are connected to the Father, He is in us through His Spirit because of the love of the Son, and Easter is actually your story too.

May you be ever radiant in the knowledge of Jesus' love for you.
Liz