Holy Saturday!

For Holy Saturday, April 4, 2026:

Matthew 27:64 NLT, asking Pilate: “We (the leading priests and Pharisees,) request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

The leading priests seemed unconcerned with spiritual authenticity, unconcerned with truth. To them, Jesus was a threat to their power and money. People had left the Synagogue to follow Jesus, and their tithes had gone to Jesus rather than the Temple. Because Jesus was a perceived threat, the leading priests and Pharisees plotted to kill him, which goes against everything they stood for. Now they were worried that Jesus’ prophecy would come true, that he would rise in three days. Men were sent to guard the tomb so that no one could steal the body and falsely claim that Jesus was alive.

The Great Exchange: Remember that while on the cross, the sins of the world were heaped upon Jesus, and His innocence was imparted to believers. That’s a massive amount of forgiveness, but that was the Father’s plan to bring believers home. That was Jesus’ mission, to rescue mankind from Satan’s territory. You could say that Jesus was on a mission trip to planet Earth!

One more thing: Many of us learned the Apostles’ Creed growing up. There’s a mistranslation that has always bothered me. The creed states, “Jesus was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell.” Friends, Jesus did not go to hell. He went to Sheol, a place for the dead. It is not heaven, and it is not hell. It may involve judgment, since Moses wrote, “The anger of Yahweh is a flame which burns in the ‘depths’ of Sheol.” But believers are already forgiven by the work Jesus did on the cross.

I suspect that not much happened on Holy Saturday, since that day is the Sabbath for Jews. It’s the Lord’s day, not a day for customary work. Jesus will be back to work tomorrow, walking away from his grave. Christians worship on Sunday, the day we realized that Jesus had conquered sin and death at the same time! In the meantime, "Shabbat Shalom!"

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sabbath!

October 30, 2023 Monday Message:

Romans 14:5 NLT: “Some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.”

I’m often asked about which day of the week we should worship. Traditional Jewish worship includes parts of two days – from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. This is called Shabbat or Shabbos, which roughly translates to Sabbath. A few Christians worship on Saturday since that’s the majority of Shabbat time. But most Christians gather for worship on Sunday. That’s the day Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death with one act of love. That’s a big part of what we celebrate!

Paul is teaching that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Set a day aside for the Lord and your family. It’s what God said to do. Worshiping should happen regularly and be somewhat repeatable. Don’t work your fingers to the bone. We all need a day of rest – God said so! Take a day to honor the Lord! Worshiping God is a big deal; which day of the week – not so much!

A group of un-churched people was surveyed: ”IF you decided to attend a church, when would that be?” The overwhelming majority picked “Sunday morning.”

Each Sabbath we should look forward to gathering with our family and our church friends to honor God! See you at church!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Remember the Sabbath

February 04, 2013 Monday Message:

We’re visiting the Ten Commandments, and today we’ll look at #4, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy."

Everyone benefits from a little time off, a vacation, or a sabbatical. God’s instruction is to rest every seventh day, and to dedicate that day to Him. Spend time in the Word. Don’t just go to church; think about who you can invite, who you can take to church. Stay away from work. That includes your cell phone and your email.

Shabbat is a great day to spend with family; if not your biological family, then your church family. The Bible says we are to enjoy three festive meals, and to study scripture together. But above all, abstain from productive work on the Sabbath. You may have to re-think this if you work for a church!

Muslims gather on Friday, Jews on Saturday, and Christians on Sunday. Technically the Jewish Shabbos is from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. Technically the word Shabbat means Saturday. Christians celebrate the day Jesus conquered sin and death, walked away from the tomb and was seen alive by His disciples. As you recall, Jesus was crucified and placed in the tomb on Friday, and reappeared on the third day, Sunday, fulfilling prophecies.

My 2¢: I feel it’s way more important to make a special time, worship together and honor God than to split hairs over which day it is. (Some may disagree.) Since I work for a church, I’m always busy on Sunday mornings. So my family and I often attend a Saturday night service at a church close to our home.

There is also the Sabbatical year, every seventh year. God says, “For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest. It is the Lord’s Sabbath.” Lev. 25:3-4a Following God’s lead, Pastors and Professors often take a Sabbatical Year, a time for study and enrichment without day-to-day obligations.

Next week we’ll summarize the first four commandments, those dealing with the relationship between God and mankind.

Norton Lawellin

Join us this coming Sunday, Feb. 10, 10:30am, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF), in the North end of the Oliver Ministry Building, 27^th Street & Bloomington Avenue, Minneapolis. I’ll do my best to explain John the Baptist, just as Jesus explained him to his followers. Luke 7:24-35

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