Earl passed away the day before Easter, in 1989, and a few months later, a friend gave me a cassette to listen to. It was by Dr. Anthony Campolo and titled, "It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin."

I sat and listened to Dr. Campolo, and I laughed and I cried, and when it was finished, I got up and wrote, "It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin" on a Post-a-note and put it on the front of my refrigerator. When it got yellow and fell off, I made another, and another and another. Each morning when I got up and every time I went to the refrigerator, I saw that message. During some of my darkest hours, that message renewed my faith and hope. When times were happy, that message continued to renew my faith and hope, knowing that there is an eternity that promises peace and happiness. 

In his message, Dr. Campolo recalls a particular gathering of ministers who gave their favorite sermons in a southern church. It seems it was a sort of "preach-off" to see whose sermon would get the most "Amens". The sermon Dr. Campolo talks about was given by the pastor of the church, a wise old African-American, whose congregation was obviously, intimately familiar with the sermon. When he learned that the pastor was going to preach a sermon that he had given many times, Dr. Campolo was surprised, and wondered why?

He said that for an hour and a half, to add emphasis to the message he was giving, the pastor preached one line over and over again -"It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'". He started his sermon very softly by saying, "It was Friday - - it was Friday and my Jesus was dead on the tree. But that was Friday, and Sunday's comin'!" One of the Deacons yelled, "Preach, brother, Preach!" It was all the encouragement he needed.

He came on louder as he said, "It was Friday and Mary was cryin' her eyes out. The disciples were runnin' in every direction, like sheep without a shepherd, but that was Friday, and Sunday's comin!"

The preacher kept going. He picked up the volume still more and shouted, "It was Friday. The cynics were lookin' at the world and sayin' `As things have been so shall they be. You can't change anything in this world; you can't change anything. But those cynics don't know that it was only Friday. Sunday's comin'! It was Friday, and on Friday those forces that oppress the poor and make the poor to suffer were in control. But that was Friday! Sunday's comin'!

It was Friday, and on Friday Pilate thought he had washed his hands of a lot of trouble. The Pharisees were struttin' around, laughin' and pokin' each other in the ribs. They thought they were back in charge of things. But they didn't know it was only Friday! Sunday's comin'!

Campolo said, "He kept on working that one phrase for a half hour, then an hour, then an hour and a quarter, then an hour and a half. Over and over he came at us, "It's Friday, but Sunday's comin!" By the time he had come to the end of the message - -he had me and everybody else so worked up that I don't think any of us could have stood it much longer. At the end of his message he just yelled at the top of his lungs, `It's FRIDAY!' and all 500 of us in that church yelled back with one accord, ‘Sunday’s comin’". 

That’s my message for you this, Good Friday. It’s Friday, the day we revisit in our minds, in our churches, through movies and scripture, the day they crucified our Lord. It was to be the darkest Friday of history - the sky turned black and the earth shook. The veil of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and our Lord hung dead upon the tree.

That was Friday, but Sunday came! Praise God!

If you’d like to hear or read Dr,. Campolo’s complete message, it may be found on the web site or in your book stores. I still have the message on a Post-A-Note, but have it on the edge of my monitor.

Be blessed!

Diana