It’s Friday…But Sunday’s Coming

Main Point: There are times in life when we despair like the disciples did on the “Friday” that Jesus was killed and buried. But we must not lose hope because “Sunday” is coming.

The Discussion Starter:
This video clip is actually taken as an excerpt from a famous sermon delivered by Rev. S. M. Lockridge, an African-American preacher of great renown. Of course, there are contemporary images in the background, but the crystal clear point is that of Rev. Lockridge’s message: “Friday is bad…but Sunday’s coming!”

Even though this message was based on the story of resurrection Sunday that we celebrate every Easter, this message can give us hope for any of the “Fridays” we face in life today. There is no need to despair or become hopeless because Sunday is coming and God will have His way as promised.

The Clip:
The video can be found online at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gx6_rGLz20

Transitional Statement:
There is something almost hypnotic about the preaching of S. M. Lockridge, or as his mother named him, Shadrach Meshach Lockridge. There is no way you could listen to that sermon and get any other message than, “Yeah, it might be Friday and everything stinks right now…but don’t fret because Sunday is coming!” Those ancient disciples lived through that horrible yet glorious weekend, and the lesson that you and I can take away is an important one. There are times in life when we despair like the disciples did on the “Friday” that Jesus was killed and buried. But we must not lose hope because “Sunday” is coming. God will keep His promise! Let’s talk about that good news together for a few moments.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: As we get started, let’s all take a second to share our names and our favorite Easter memory.


2. ASK A FEW: What were some of the things the preacher said happened on Friday? How do you think those things affected the disciples?


3. ASK A FEW: What was he referring to when he kept saying “Sunday’s coming”?


4. ASK A FEW: What would you have done and how would you have felt if you had lived through that Friday as a disciple and friend of Jesus?


5. ASK A FEW: Likewise, what would Resurrection Sunday mean to you if you had lived through it?


6. ASK A FEW: Have you ever had a “Friday” period in your actual life? If so, can you briefly describe it?


7. ASK A FEW: Did “Sunday” come for you? In other words, did God show up and save the day? If so, how?

Read the following passage:

John 20:1-18 (NIV)

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.



8. ASK A FEW: What did Mary think had happened when she got to the empty tomb that morning? Would you have thought the same thing?


9. ASK A FEW: How did Mary react when she first spoke with Jesus and how did she react once she realized who He was?


10. ASK A FEW: How did “Sunday” change Mary’s life? How do you know?


11. ASK A FEW: Do you think that the “Sunday” miracle of the resurrection was worth putting up with the betrayal, torture, crucifixion, and burial of “Friday”? Why or why not?


12. ASK A FEW: What “Friday” are you facing right now? Are you tempted to lose hope in the meantime?


13. ASK A FEW: In the message we heard and the Scripture we just read, “Sunday” came just 2 days after “Friday.” Do we sometimes have to wait longer than 2 days for our “Sunday”? Explain.


14. ASK A FEW: How will your “Sunday” change your life?


15. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What can you do in the meantime to strengthen your faith waiting on “Sunday”?

We know this is true because this message of hope is echoed across all of Scripture, probably in no clearer passage than Romans 8:27-31 which reads:

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Close in Prayer

Written by David R Smith