It's Friday, but Sunday's A' Coming!

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined…After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men...had a dream…When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected…"Why are your faces so sad today?" "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." (Genesis 40:1-8)

Today is “Good Friday.” Across the globe, Christians will gather to remember the horrific crucifixion of Jesus Christ. What can possibly be “good” about an execution, you might ask? Why would the faithful celebrate a death sentence? Fridays are about ends. The end of the week. The end of work. The end of dreams. People get fired on Fridays more than any other day. It’s called Friday for a reason. Fried and frayed nerves. Fried and frazzled schedules. Fried and flawed lives.

We don’t know what day of the week these two Egyptian officials met their depression, but it could easily have been a Friday. Both of these men were V.I.P.s in Pharoah’s court. A cupbearer tasted every drink destined for his master’s lips (in case it was poisoned). The baker satisfied the king’s appetites. Whatever they did to get his goat was no laughing matter. Perhaps they were in cahoots to lace his lunch with arsenic? Regardless of the reason, these two high-ranking servants were now enjoying an extended vacation in the brig.

And then they both had nightmares that led to depression. It was a Friday funk. Their minds were mystified by visions they received. Suddenly life wasn’t fun anymore. Their imaginations probably ran wild as they desperately tried to interpret the dreams. Ultimately, both men were empty, anxious and in despair. It was a "fry" day.

Fridays are like that, you know. It’s why the world hits the bars after work. Let’s numb the pain. Forget the past. Feel something real. Find a friend. Fridays can be good for nothing. Fridays can be final. Fridays can be forever. The fact Jesus was executed on a Friday shouldn’t surprise anyone. God made Fridays and even God can’t skip to a Saturday sabbatical. Fridays have to be lived and loved, endured and embraced.

The secret to surviving Friday, is to set your sights on Sunday. Friday pain becomes Sunday healing. Friday problems become Sunday solutions. Friday executions become Sunday paroles. Jesus knew that without a death there can be no Resurrection. Without Friday’s despair and disappointment we can't discover Sunday joy and hope. Fridays keep us human. Sundays reveal Divinity. Fridays pierce dreams. Sundays roll away obstacles. Fridays convict and judge. Sundays release and restore. Friday's doubts lead to Sunday's destiny.

So why is Friday “good?” That’s easy. In the dirt of Friday’s mess lies the seed for Sunday’s Messiah. No Friday is final. Life is what it is, whether you’re a baker, a butcher, a prisoner or even Pharoah. Fridays are forgettable in light of forever (which is why we shouldn’t let nightmares bury the possibilities waiting to blossom).

Fridays are “good” because “God” is still there.

If you only care to look.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES ON HOPE:

“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." (Martin Luther King)

“Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.” (Vaclav Havel)

“Hope is a waking dream.” (Aristotle)

“Hope is nature's veil for hiding truth's nakedness.” (Alfred Bernhard Nobel)

Father, I want to thank you for Fridays. I know sometimes I grumble, complain and fight, but now I’m learning to see the “good” in every moment. If it weren’t for Fridays I’d never experience Sundays. All the joys and hopes find their wings when I patiently wait for You to work. Forgive my frailty, my fragility, my fears and my attempts to force Your Will. Jesus, thank You for revealing how Friday despair can make my Sunday’s dance! Amen.