Gospel of Luke 24:1-12
Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
A Pastoral Sermon by Rev. Dennis W. Foust, PhD, Senior Minister
Rev. Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 to 1993. Twenty-five years ago this month, he passed on ahead of us at age 87. One Good Friday, he stood before his congregation to offer these now familiar words:
It’s Friday. Judas is betraying. 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 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 our Savior’s hands To the cross. They nail our 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. Jesus 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 rolled into place. But it’s Friday. It is only Friday. Sunday is a comin’!
Imagine you are living in Israel during the first century in the days of Jesus. Your nation is deeply fragmented. Various groups with distinct ideologies and agendas are wrestling for control of your nation. Pharisees anchor Israel in the past and want to make Israel great again. Sadducees serve the wealthy aristocracy while accommodating the Roman powers to protect their social and economic privilege. Religion is intertwined with divisive partisanship. Essenes pursue a life of spiritual purity in isolation from the larger world. Zealots and their radical subgroup, the Sicarii, are militaristic nationalists advocating armed rebellion against Roman oppression. Conflicts and violent clashes are common as moderate factions attempt negotiation. Various groups use threats of terror to destabilize society. Fanaticism culminates in civil conflict. IT’S FRIDAY, BUT SUNDAY’S COMING!
For into this malaise and chaos, a rabbi from Galilee appears teaching peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, acceptance, unity, understanding, humility, devotion to righteous living,
love of God, love of neighbor, love of stranger, love of self, love of enemies, service to the sick, grace, compassion for the outsider, equality of women, valuing children, mercy, and embracing the poor and the wealthy. Jesus taught that people should be busy seeking first the vision of God rather than worrying.. He emphasized that we should treat others the way we would like them to treat us. And Jesus taught that his followers should be light in darkness, leaven in the loaf, salt in the recipe, and love in the midst of hatred. Jesus taught that the best way for us to witness in this world is “to love one another.” In fact, it was his ONLY COMMAND – HIS ONLY MANDATE. “Love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. When people who do not participate in the Church see how people in the life of the Church love one another, they are drawn by this love to this love.”
Yet, as difficult as it can be to understand, most people rejected Jesus’ message or gave it a half-hearted attempt. They gave themselves over to the dominion of other powers rather than the power of God’s love. Chained to the lies of cultic corruption, they were victimized by manipulation that made them cry out, “Crucify him. Crucify him!” They saw Jesus as a threat to their closed-minded and biased perspectives. On that Friday afternoon, as Jesus said, “It is finished,” Mark’s Gospel uses the imagery of darkness covering the entire earth.
THAT WAS FRIDAY, SUNDAY’S COMING!
When I was a child in Sunday School, Mrs. Mae Holder placed on the flannel board a drawing of a watchman standing atop the wall of Jerusalem. She taught us about the watches of the night and how we all need to know what is going on in the world while also watching for what God is doing. Later, I studied how the prophets Isaiah, Habakkuk, and Ezekiel used the WATCHMAN in their words to challenge God’s people to keep watch for the dawn to announce new beginnings.
Beloved, you are God’s watchmen today. You stay alert to what is happening in the darkness; you watch for the dawn; and you announce new beginnings. You realize that God raised Jesus from death and the tomb during darkness. Although you see abuse, betrayal, failures, injustices, violence, lies, manipulations, exploitations, and evils of other varieties, you also see the stars and streaks of light on the horizon?
You see neighbors helping one another after hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires?
You see people building Habitat houses, serving dinner at the men’s shelter, and welcoming immigrants into our city. You see God’s people who do these things when you look in the mirror. You are watching for the dawn amidst the darkness because you know
the God who raised Jesus from the grave has been at work through the centuries and continues to be at work today. Although followers of Jesus have not accomplished all the good that we could have – too often participating with powers of evil to promote injustice and oppression – the Church has also been motivated by God’s compassion revealed in Jesus to:
establish medical care, improve housing and reduce homelessness,
feed the hungry, build peace and promote justice,
increase education, reduce prejudice/care for mental health,
diminish abuse, value women and children, etc.
AGAIN, I DIDN’T SAY THE CHURCH IS OR HAS BEEN PERFECT – HOWEVER
THE WORLD IS BETTER BECAUSE THE CHURCH HAS FOLLOWED THE WAY OF JESUS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. EVEN IF YOU CANNOT BELIEVE JESUS WAS RAISED FROM DEATH AND THE GRAVE, CONSIDER HOW PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING JESUS – INSPIRED TO CONTINUE HIS MINISTRY. BE INSPIRED BY THEM TO INVEST YOURSELF IN THIS WORK AS WELL. DON’T BE SURPRISED IF GETTING INVOLVED IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS HELPS YOU WATCH FOR THE DAWN.
Dawn – that miraculous moment when your vision can be reoriented to reality.
Have you considered that each time you view a sunset, someone else sees a dawn?
IN GOD’S RESURRECTION OF JESUS, ALL SUNSETS ARE REFLECTIONS OF DAWN.
My aunt Veda died five days after my 10th birthday. Veda and our Dad were thirteen months apart. They were as close as twins. She had served as one of the first single women missionaries to Asia after World War II. She taught school in Saipan, the Philippines, and Guam and helped begin churches in each nation. Life-threatening asthma forced her return to the United States in the late 1950s. She settled in Tucson, Arizona and taught children of the Hopi Nation. In Tucson, she married a teacher named Leonard who had settled in Tucson because he had only one lung. They married and brought a son into the world, naming him Kenny. When Kenny was one year old, Veda died from an asthma attack. On the evening after her funeral, Dad and our grandparents stood in the front yard watching the sunset. I had noticed sunsets, but this was my first time watching a sunset happen. It was beautiful and seemed to include every color.
When Kenny was fourteen years of age, his father died, and our parents received Kenny to be their son. Kenny is now almost 60 and is an Occupational Therapist. After Kenny’s father passed on, my brother, David, Dad, and I flew to Tucson to move Kenny and his two dogs from Arizona to Missouri. It took all day and into the night to rent & load the U-Haul and station wagon and clean the house. We decided to drive in the coolness of night. We left after midnight, stopped at a truck stop along I-10 and drove from Tucson to Las Crucis, New Mexico. We entered the valley into Las Crucis as first light danced over the Organ Mountains from the east.
Dad mentioned that it was as beautiful as the sunset on the evening of Veda’s funeral.
So, I pulled the truck to a stop on the roadside. The four of us were watching for the dawn.
As those women approached the tomb while it was still dark, the first streams of light broke forth on that Sunday morning. They carried spices to deal with Friday. However, they were informed that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Friday was now fully in the past.
SUNDAY HAD ARRIVED.
THAT SUNDAY, A NEW WORLD DAWNED.
FROM THAT DAWNING UNTIL THIS MOMENT, THE ETERNAL LIGHT OF GOD IS REVEALED IN JESUS CHRIST WHO SAID,
“I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.WHOEVER FOLLOWS ME WILL NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS …” (John 8:12)
Beloved, do you have fears, beliefs, or pain holding you back from a new dawn?
Lay down your spices that focus on Friday and allow God’s light to dawn in your life.
It’s Sunday!
Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
AMEN!
