Psalms 134 - Worship

March 26, 2018 Monday Message:

“Lift your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.” Psalms 134:2 NIV

This is one of the places in the Bible that references the raising of hands in worship. That’s one of the ways some people choose to worship God. Some want to reach out and touch the sky; others are reaching upward, stretching closer to God.

Some people simply get caught up in the excitement of being in the presence of the Lord. Not only do their hands move, but their feet move too! Some people dance before the Lord.  David did.

Others sit still with hands folded and heads bowed, showing reverence for God.

I don’t know that there’s really a ‘right’ way and a ‘wrong’ way to worship – but it’s very important that we DO worship our creator - and what better time than Easter Sunday as we celebrate the death of sin and the end of death on the same day? Easter, one of the high-points of the church year, is a perfect day to invite someone to come to church with you. Offer to pick them up!

May the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, bless you. Ps. 134:3

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets Easter Sunday, Apr. 1, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Pastor Michael Pilla leads us through the Resurrection Story.

Holy Week - We Know the Future!

April 18, 2011 Monday Message:

This is Holy Week. Many of you will visit church more than once this week. Holy week actually started yesterday, with Palm Sunday. Let’s look at what happened during this week 2000 years ago.

It’s Pesach, the Passover week, so Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. As they finished Thursday’s Passover meal, Jesus took common items from the dinner table, bread and wine, and instituted The Lord’s Supper, known also as Holy Communion or the Eucharist. Jesus said to do this so as not to forget him, “in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

On the surface, Good Friday seems anything but good. This is the day Jesus was beaten and crucified. But it is good that Jesus took our sin to the grave, it’s good that as he took away our sin, his righteousness covered us, and it’s good that the Father’s plan was being fulfilled.

Friday was Jesus’ first day in the place of the dead; Saturday was the second, and Sunday the third. And on that third day, “God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen.” Acts 10:40 MSG

Each year as we transition from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, I’m reminded of Dr. Tony Campolo’s famous story, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin’!” No matter how bad Friday looks, we know everything will be fixed by Sunday. We know the future!

At any given point in time, God’s plan may not make sense to us. But only God knows the entire plan; only God can see the big picture. “My thoughts are not your thoughts; your ways are not My ways,” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

So our mission is to trust in the Lord, and lean not on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 Everything will be all right in the end. If everything is not all right, it is not the end.

May you and your loved ones have a safe and blessed Easter.
He is risen; He is risen indeed!

Norton Lawellin