Plot to kill!

For Tuesday, March 31, 2026:

Mark 11:18 NLT: “When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, (driving the corrupt from the Temple and overturning the money-changer’s tables,) they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.”

Palm Sunday saw the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, with people waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna, save us, save us now!”

Monday was the breaking point for Jesus. He’d had enough of the corruption and scams taking place in the Temple. He said, “My Father’s house should be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves,” as he overturned the money-changer’s tables.

So the next day, Tuesday, the leading priests and teachers of religious law started plotting how to kill Jesus. To them, he was nothing but trouble. Left a big mess in the Temple for someone else to clean up! But what complicated matters was that a lot of people thought Jesus was the best Bible teacher they’d ever seen! He seemed to have an inside track on explaining the Bible and God’s intentions. Of course, we now know that Jesus was God’s son, one-third of our Trinity God. The bad guys were trying to nail the Bible teacher with the most knowledge to a cross. Seems illogical, incongruous to me.

Nonetheless, the plot continued to develop. Those planning Jesus’ demise had no idea that they were fulfilling God’s agenda. Jesus had to die to take the sins of the world to the place of the dead. That way mankind’s sins could be forgiven, and the repentant could report to the Father. Everlasting life in God’s heavenly Kingdom could be the new reality for the faithful! Do your utmost to be among them!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Beginning of the End!

For Tuesday, July 29, 2025:

John 12:23 NLT: “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.”

In this Gospel, the Palm Parade is behind us, and the cross is in the future. Answering questions, Jesus predicts his death.

A terrible time is coming. Betrayal, false arrest, kangaroo court, whippings and finally crucifixion lay in Jesus’ future. Sounds terrible, and it was. But if Jesus is to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world, his death is part of God’s vast eternal plan! Like many things in life, this too will pass, and things will be much better when it does. Jesus’ life will be better as he is resurrected and eventually returns to heaven. Our lives will be better as the penalty has been prepaid for our sins. Jesus made it possible for mankind to spend eternity with Almighty God in His Kingdom.

All those who serve Jesus, those who call him Savior, are holding heavenly tickets. We will join Jesus in the hereafter. Remember that God’s desire is that none would perish; that all would repent and return. Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us. No need to pack. Everything will be provided. God is good!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Parade Day!

For Friday, July 25, 2025:

John 12:13 AMP: “A large crowd of Passover visitors took branches of palm trees [in homage to Jesus as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

This scripture describes Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Christians celebrate it on Palm Sunday. Jesus’ popularity with the populous had been increasing, and this day marked the pinnacle of his ministry. The crowd shouted, “Hosanna,” which means, “save us.” Save us from hell, save us from the lake of fire and grant us a place in your Kingdom. Shouting hosanna also implies an urgency. “Save us, save us now!” Stop and think – you’d only ask someone to save you, to redeem you, if you believed they could fulfill that request!

Jesus rode a borrowed donkey that day, fulfilling scripture. Donkeys were valuable in that they could transport a heavy load from point A to point B. Imagine someone saying, “I’m going to take your F-150 pickup. The Lord has need of it!” Probably wouldn’t happen, but God was showing off his Son that day, and He may have had a hand in it! God has a hand in most everything! This was parade day, and Jesus was the celebrated Grand Marshall!

On the street, people were still talking about how Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. That’s why so many flocked out to meet him. They had heard of that miracle. It was starting to look like Jesus could be the promised Messiah. Let’s all go and check it out!

So friends, let’s try this: When everyone is praising the Lord at church, try shouting out, “Hosanna!” Save me, save me now. Picture Jesus riding through the congregation on a borrowed donkey. Picture a parade right up the center aisle. Tell Jesus you love him. Assure him that you’re not like the fickle ones who abandoned him. True believers are in this until the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Palms lifted up!

For Sunday, March 24, 2024:

Matthew 21:9 NKJV: “The multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest!’”

Jesus and his disciples were headed for Jerusalem and the Temple. Passover would soon be starting.

As they neared the city, Jesus sent two of his disciples to borrow a donkey and its colt. “The Lord has need of it.”

Entering the city, they put their clothes on the beast, and Jesus climbed aboard. People lined the parade route with more clothing and with palm fronds. That’s why we call it Palm Sunday. As they processed, the people cried out, ”Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna is a Greek word which literally means, “Save now.” That’s quite important. Think about it. You wouldn’t walk up to just anybody on the street and ask them to save you, to redeem you. There has to be a reasonable expectation that they’re able to do it! Which tells us that a great many people in Jesus’ path believed that he could save them, that Jesus was the redeemer, the Son of God!

Yesterday I mentioned mob mentality. This mob wanted Jesus to save them! But the mob on Thursday night/Friday morning would be shouting, “Crucify him!” That’s why we need to collect all the information we can, and think things through to their logical conclusion. When I die, I want to be with the group shouting, “Save us now!”

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Hosanna!

February 12, 2024 Monday Message:

Mark 11:9b NKJV: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Jesus was about to enter the Holy City of Jerusalem. It’s called the Triumphal Entry. We celebrate it as Palm Sunday. The story unfolds like this:

Two disciples were sent to borrow a donkey for Jesus to ride through the city, explaining, “The Lord has need of it.” Now if someone told me to go into my neighborhood and borrow a Buick that had never been driven – the keys will be in it – and explain that the Lord has need of it, I’m sure I’d be arrested on the spot! And that’s what this was like, commandeering someone’s means of transportation. But it all happened just as the Bible reports. All signs point to the super-natural nature of the event that’s about to transpire.

As Jesus rode the streets of Jerusalem, people lined the route with palm fronds and the cloaks they’d been wearing. They cheered and shouted, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna!” The crowd was acknowledging that Jesus wasn’t just a regular human being. He was heaven-sent, fulfilling the Lord’s mission here on earth. How else could you explain everything that happened when Jesus was present?

And now that the crowd knows who Jesus is, they shout “Hosanna,” which means, Save us. Now!” They would not ask Jesus to save them unless they believed that it was possible for him to do so!. And there’s an urgency to “Hosanna.” “Save us – save us NOW!” These people want to repent and return. They believe there’s a heaven and a hell, and it’s forgiveness by the Father that can punch their heavenly ticket. They sure don’t want to see hell!

So go ahead – shout and cheer and cast your own branches on the road. Call out “Hosanna” as Jesus rides by!

Have a blessed week!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Hosanna!

For Sunday, April 10, 2022

Matthew 21:9 NIV: “The crowds that went ahead of Jesus and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’”

Jesus had been ministering on earth for three years, and word had gotten around about all the healings. Jesus was known as a fair person, an honest person, but mostly as a worker of miracles. Even people who didn’t know he was the Son of God thought he was an important prophet, certainly sent from heaven. In Jesus, they found hope!

And today Jesus is making his Triumphal Entry into the Holy City, riding on a borrowed donkey. It was like a parade! People lined the streets, laying palm branches and bright cloth in the street ahead of their Savior. Everyone called him ‘blessed,’ and shouted, “Hosanna,” which means save us, save us now!

In our churches, we celebrate this day as Palm Sunday. We too should shout out, “Hosanna! Save us, save us now!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Jesus' Parade of Palms!

April 6, 2020 Monday Message:

“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!’” John 12:13

Yesterday was Palm Sunday and next Sunday is Easter, Resurrection Sunday. Let’s be honest – we’re all a little bit disconnected from the church calendar, because of the ‘Shelter in Place’ order stemming from the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

I love a parade, and I love the Triumphal Entry, Jesus commandeering a donkey and colt with only the explanation, “The Lord needs them.” Then people, many of whom saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the tomb, lined the street with their clothes, and cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road, shouting, “Hosanna! Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna!” “Hosanna” means, “save us,” but with an urgency that implies, “Save us NOW!”

At the time, Israel was under Roman rule, but with a unique twist: As long as order was maintained in the region, the people were allowed to practice their own religion. Hence Rome ruled the land, but the Temple Priests ruled religion. Both groups were upset with the number of people following Jesus rather than the ‘organized’ religion, and calling Jesus “King of Israel” was a direct affront to Caesar.

When the parade was over, the Pharisees were disgusted. “This is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” John 12:19

Next week, even though the crowd switches sides, Jesus goes on to conquer sin and death on the same day!

Norton Lawellin, Worship Pastor

Jesus in the City Fellowship.

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Good News!

April 8, 2019 Monday Message

Followers of Jesus have been blessed with the Good News of eternal salvation in the presence of Father God. Jesus said that we are to share that Good News by making disciples of all nations. In other words, don’t keep the Good News to yourself — share it with everybody!

At the beginning of Christianity, the believers kept “The Way” alive, but mostly in the city of Jerusalem. It was their standard mode of operation. After all, Pharisees had been hoarding the Torah in the Temple for years.

Finally, the Apostle Paul followed Jesus’ instructions, taking the Gospel to several Gentile nations. He was making believers out of people who formerly had no interest in religion. And isn’t that what we’re all called to do?

Since this coming Sunday is Palm Sunday and the following one is Easter Sunday, this is the perfect time of year to bring someone with you to your place of worship. We’ll never get to make disciples of all nations if we don’t invite them.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 10:30AM, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406. This week Pastor Pilla teaches about Jesus’ Triumphant Entry.

Palms Away!

March 30, 2015 Monday Message:

“They took palm branches and went out to meet him shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’” John 12:13 NIV

Last Sunday, most of our churches celebrated Palm Sunday. Let’s take a second look at the first Palm Sunday.

In 538BC, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild the Temple. They used palm branches in the rededication, and the palm became a symbol, a type of logo, for the Hebrew people, the Jewish religion and the Temple.

Minted coins were to feature the image of Caesar, but twice, during wars against Rome, Israel minted coins featuring palms. Waving a palm branch at a Centurion was highly confrontational, and would surely get you arrested.

God had promised the Israelites a Messiah for quite some time, and many believed that Jesus was the anointed one. But they were expecting a Messiah who would liberate them from Rome. They hadn’t considered that the Messiah would rescue them from sin and open the doors of heaven.

So on that day, Jesus rode in to Jerusalem, and out came the palm branches and bright clothes to line the street, as would be done for a king. The crowd shouted, “Blessed is the King of Israel!” They honored Jesus, not Caesar, as King of the Jews.

Some things are not Caesar’s.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers at 10 a.m. every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This week, April 5, Pastor Michael Pilla teaches about the empty tomb.