For Friday, March 27, 2026:

Luke 3:19-20 NLT: “John (the baptist) also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs Herod had done. So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.”

Notice the focus of John’s criticism. Not the governmental system, not the Roman army, not the prisons. In John’s eyes, what Herod had done wrong was marrying his brother’s wife. John is critical of Herod’s moral failure.

God’s plan is for one man and one woman to come together, and they become a family. This law is written on our hearts, so everybody already knows. Even hardened criminals whose personal mission is to live outside the law know not to take someone else’s wife.

John’s boldness landed him in prison and ultimately led to his demise. Interestingly, Herod liked John and sometimes listened to him proclaim the Good News. “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” The Messiah has arrived; turns out to be God’s Son! Herod was almost a Christian, but not quite. In the end, it was Herodias, the adulteress, who objected to John’s criticism and ordered his death.

Jesus says, “Don’t begin until you consider the cost.” There may be a cost for joining the Jesus team. John chose to stand up for God’s principles, and it eventually cost him his life. On the other hand, Peter lied, denying Jesus three times to save his own skin. He was destined to be the point person for the new Christian church, the Way. God wouldn’t accept “no” for an answer.

Count on God to guide you on your spiritual journey and give you the right answers!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Nazareth!

For Tuesday, February 10, 2026:

Matthew 2:20 NLT: “Get up!” the angel said to Joseph. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that their persecutor Herod had died, so it now appeared safe for the Holy family to return to Israel. Then they received the bad news, that Herod’s son Archelaus would be the new ruler. Like father, like son. This was no improvement.

But there’s even more good news! Rather than Jerusalem, the family could settle in Nazareth, only a four to seven day hike away, far enough to remain safe, but close enough to attend religious festivals at the Temple. Jesus would be known as a Nazarene.

Jesus could safely start his ministry around Nazareth. And just to the Northeast is Tiberias on Lake Gennesaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee. Jesus blessed many believers around that lake, including the twelve. Nazareth was his home base, his safe haven, while Jerusalem would ultimately be his demise.

We thank God for allowing Jesus to safely begin his ministry in Nazareth, and for allowing him to complete his mission in Jerusalem. That’s where he took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, allowing mankind to reunite with the Father! That’s where believers stand today, forgiven by the work of Jesus on the cross, and servants of the Lord Most High!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Off to Egypt!

February 9, 2026, Monday Message:

Matthew 2:13b NLT: “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said to Joseph. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Fortunately, Joseph and Mary had experience with angels. They had experienced heavenly sightings previously, and everything the angel had told them always came true. A trust relationship had been established.

So when this angel told them to flee to Egypt, they quickly packed and got going. Their child was said to be the “King of the Jews.” And the problem was that Herod believed he was king! And Herod doesn’t want any competition for first place!

This all happened right after the Magi’s visit, so the holy family had adequate resources to sustain a trip to a foreign land. The Wise Men outfoxed Herod and returned home via a different route without ever reporting back to him. This angered Herod, and when he couldn’t locate Jesus, he ordered ALL the male children under two years of age to be killed. There was much wailing and sorrow in that part of Israel, all because of one sanctimonious narcissist.

Believers should rejoice that Jesus and family could seek asylum in a nearby foreign country. Nonresident aliens aren’t welcomed everywhere, and Jesus needed to reach adulthood before his ministry could begin. His primary mission was to take away the sins of the world, allowing mankind to mend our relationship with God Almighty, and we’ve seen that!

Thank you, Father God, for ensuring the completion of your Son’s mission. Thank you, Father, for providing your Son for the rescue of all believers. Thank you for Assurance of Salvation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Dr. Luke!

For Thursday, November 20, 2025:

Luke 1:3-4 NLT: “Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.”

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, followed by Advent and then Christmas. So I thought is would be a good time to review Luke from the beginning. Luke was never a major disciple of Jesus, but rather a once-removed disciple of Paul, who the risen Jesus personally converted on the road to Damascus. There are records of Luke traveling with Paul and evangelizing alongside him.

Luke was also known as a healer, a physician, so we would expect him to have above-average intelligence. As Luke authored his Gospel, he quoted eyewitnesses who had seen and heard the Savior speak; eyewitnesses who had personally seen miracles play out! I look at Luke as an investigative reporter who interviewed countless people and condensed their stories into an accurate biography of Jesus’ life. He’s writing to “Theophilus,” which means, “Lover of God.” We don’t know if Theophilus is a person, a group of God lovers, or all those who love the Lord nowadays. Perhaps, “All of the above!” Luke stresses the accuracy and truthfulness of his Jesus biography. So listen up and take good notes!

So that we know our location on the timeline of history, Luke tells us that Herod was the king, and Zechariah was serving as a Temple priest. Z’s wife Elizabeth was barren, so they were without children. And Luke tells us, “They were both very old.” Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations, and yet, childless.

The odds were against anyone serving in the Temple sanctuary. It was the day for Z’s group to serve, but they chose by lot which individual would receive the honored call. Much happened while Z was serving, which we’ll cover next time. See how this plays out in God’s vast eternal plan! Hint: Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Vast Eternal Plan!

For Sunday, June 22, 2025:\

Luke 13:32 NLT, Jesus replying to the Pharisees: “Go tell that fox (Herod Antipas) that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.”

Herod Antipas had threatened to kill Jesus. Jesus was disruptive to the stable world maintained by the Romans. Romans weren’t Jewish, but they tolerated religion as long as it kept the population peaceful.

But this new guy, Jesus, was rocking the boat! What should have been a continuation of the Hebrew relationship with God Almighty had turned into a kind of church split. People were leaving the Temple to follow Jesus. Tithes were leaving with the people. (Remember the words of Pastor Norton: People get squirrelly when there’s money involved. Count on it!)

Pharisees offered to kill Jesus for splitting their congregation. They claimed blasphemy, false doctrine, not understanding that the Son of God would surely know what his Father prefers!

Jesus was not afraid, even though he knew exactly what was coming. He vowed to cast out demons and heal people right up until the end. And when it was time for his earthly demise, those who opposed him would actually be fulfilling God’s plan. Jesus could then take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. It’s great that Jesus could heal, cast out demons and teach. But I believe his primary purpose was to solve mankind’s sin problem.

And everything played out just like Jesus knew that it would. After three days, he stepped out of the tomb, declaring, “Problem solved!” The gift of forgiven sin is for each of us who claims Jesus as our Savior.

Today is the accepted day to repent and return to the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Asylum!

For Sunday, January 5, 2025:

Matthew 2:13 NLT: “After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,’ the angel said. ‘Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’”

As an infant, our Savior/Son-of-God became a nonresident alien in a foreign land seeking political and religious asylum! Wow! That’s a big bunch of words to describe such a little child!

But it’s a good thing the family left. Herod had gone berserk! Jesus, born King of the Jews, was such a perceived threat that Herod ordered every Hebrew child under the age of two to be killed! There was heartbreak throughout the land.

Herod eventually died and the Holy family returned to Israel. It all worked out according to God’s plan, leaving us with a little more compassion for those seeking political and religious asylum!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Herod vs John!

For Wednesday, January 17, 2024:

Mark 6:25 NLT: “The girl hurried back to the king and told him, ‘I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!’”

Herod Antipas was a confused, evil man with no courage to stand up for what is right. Surprisingly, he had heard Jesus speak. He listened to John the Baptist preach, “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand,” and liked what he heard. But after hearing the warnings, he did not heed the warnings! He had all the information needed to become a believer, but took no action to make it so. Close, but no cigarc

Herod was lost in sin. He had married his brother’s wife Herodias, and she persisted in dragging him further into the depths of hell. As I said, Herod had no courage of his own to stand up for biblical truth, so he was easily manipulated. My theory is that Herodias desired power and money, and she would use anything including sex to get results. She was probably easy on the eyes and awesome in the bedroom, and freely used these traits to move up the royalty’s pecking order. Why would she want to be married to the king’s brother when she could be sleeping with the king himself?

And what’s with Herod’s daughter dancing before the king and his guests? Is that the right thing to do with your daughter, put her on display? My guess is that she wasn’t a student of classical ballet. She hadn’t won the ballroom competition on Dancing with the Stars. Rather, she had learned well from her mother how to manipulate men.

So after all that, Herod promised the dancer a favor, and she consulted with her evil mother. “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!”

Thus John the Baptist met his demise. The score will be settled in heaven, where John will be exalted, and Herod, Herodius and her daughter won’t be present!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

cJesus in the City Fellowship

Faith Requires Action!

For Thursday, July 20, 2023:

Romans 2:13 NLT: “For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.”

Many heard Jesus speak just as many attend our churches nowadays. They hear the words of Jesus, so they know truth. But the words are wasted on people unless they choose to act, choose to do what those words teach.

Herod Antipas was the perfect example of someone who heard truth straight from the mouth of Jesus, yet didn’t become a believer. He chose to maintain his power in Galilee, not wanting to admit that God could be more powerful and more right. Responsible for the execution of John-the-Baptist, Herod also declined to intervene on Jesus’ behalf, sending him back to Pilate. Many times he had heard the truth, but chose to not act on it.

While we are no longer under the Law of Moses, our New Covenant rules come from our Lord Jesus. His summary of the Law tells us to love God and love our fellows. Be nice, be helpful, be kind. Figure out what you could do that would make the situation better. Do the next right thing!

When in doubt, ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Wise Men?

December 27, 2022 Monday Message:

Matthew 2:1-2 NLT: “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men, Magi, from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

Today is the third day of Christmas. When Jesus was born, the star rose in the east signifying the arrival of the promised Messiah. Wise men from the east began their journey when they first saw the star, but had to travel for quite some time. So they didn’t arrive until much later – as much as two years later! Suffice it to say that they didn’t visit a newborn in a manger! By that time, Jesus’ family would have been living elsewhere.

As a child, I participated in the Christmas pageant at church – and – believe it or not – the Christmas pageant at our school! Picture this: Jesus would be in the center in a manger, with Joseph on one side, Mary on the other, with three shepherds off to one side and three wise men on the opposite side. But friends, it didn’t really happen that way! The shepherds and wise men were never in the same room together! And were they wise? They could be astronomers, the Greek calls them Magi (magicians) and we sing “We Three Kings.” And the Bible never says there were only three of them, so a lot of detail is missing from this beautiful story, or confused by our tradition.

But the arrival of visitors from the east seeking the King of the Jews upset King Herod so much that he felt he had to defend his throne. And this is where it gets ugly – more tomorrow...

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Decision!

For Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Matthew 14:1-2 NLT: “When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, he said to his advisers, ‘This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.’”

Herod Antipas, known as Herod the tetrarch, was in a perilous place. He had heard Jesus speak, he knew the evidence of who Jesus was, but he concocted his own theory as to the source of Jesus’ power. Herod never made the transition to becoming a believer. Sitting on the fence, he perpetually made the incorrect decision. Unfortunately his eternal destiny rested on that decision. He’s what I call “almost-a-believer!”

Many of us have an “almost-a-believer” in our circle of friends, and Jesus calls us to give them hope. He commissioned us to take the Good News to the four corners of the earth and make disciples, believers, followers of the Son of God. Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through him, so everyone needs to know about the redeeming Savior.

If we spread the Good News about Jesus, everyone will have a chance to believe and be saved. People will be offered hope!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406