Angels & Baby!

 For Thursday, January 8, 2026:

Luke 2:8 NLT: “The night of Jesus’ birth, there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.”

These are the luckiest shepherds ever! God sent his messenger angel to them with the Good News of Jesus’ birth. It can get quite dark in the countryside away from the city, but – not to be missed – the angel shone with the radiance of God’s Glory! The shepherds were terrified!

But the Angel told them to not be afraid. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Swaddled, wrapped up tightly in a package improvised from a small blanket. Baby warm, safe and secure!

Turns out that one angel wasn’t enough to herald this colossal event. A host of others showed up, all praising the Lord and declaring Peace on Earth! The angel armies had gathered to share the Good News! And having seen and heard this show of heaven’s strength, the shepherds had to check it out for themselves. “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

In the city, they found Mary, Joseph and the baby in a manger, just as they had been told. Before returning to their flocks, the shepherds told everyone about the angels and that everything was just as the angel said it would be. The angel told them that this was the promised Messiah, and there he is, lying in a manger! Praise God!

This baby was the Redeemer for all time, for those present and for believers 2,000 years later. This baby is our friend, the author of forgiveness. Jesus made it possible for forgiven believers to see heaven from the inside!

Thank you, Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Be a Shepherd!

For Friday, December 26, 2025:

Luke 2:8 NLT: “The night that Jesus was born, there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.”

Let’s all pretend to be shepherds. The sheep are peaceful, quiet, down for the night. Everyone is relaxed, enjoying the serenity of nature. When all of a sudden this angel showed up! Big, audacious and scary! His first words are, “Be not afraid!” This messenger angel is friendly, bearing good news. “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem.”

Suddenly, he is joined by a chorus of other angels, all praising the Lord for sending a Savior to the Hebrew people. The shepherd’s curiosity got the best of them, and soon they were off to Bethlehem to see the baby for themselves. They were told to look for an infant, swaddled, lying in a manger, and that’s exactly what they found!

We’ve all seen Christmas pageants with the manger and Jesus in the center, Mary and Joseph right behind them, three shepherds on one side and three wise men on the other. It stages well, but it’s not too accurate, so let’s dispel some myths. The group of shepherds was probably 8-20 men. They could have been pungent as they’d been living with sheep. They never met the wise men, who arrived as much as two years later. They were following a star, and stars don’t move very fast. We don’t know the number of wise men, only that there were three gifts.

But wouldn‘t it have been fun to join the Holy Family in welcoming their Son, our Redeemer? Wouldn’t it have been exciting to celebrate the first Christmas with the shepherds? It’s such a big deal, we reenact it each year! Merry Christmas!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Messiah!

For Tuesday, June 24, 2025:

John 10:24b-25 NLT: Q: “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.”

Who Jesus is and who sent him seems obvious to us. If he’s fulfilling the job description of the Messiah, that must be who he is. Call him God’s Son, God’s right-hand man or Moshiach – it’s all the same thing! If you examine the miracles, the healings, the kindness and teaching above expectations, Jesus is indeed God’s man for the mission!

You must have a teachable mind to recognize Jesus. People whose minds are closed to new ideas will keep asking for more evidence. They can never be sure. They ask for more and more proof when there’s already plenty!

Jesus says that we need to be like sheep. Sheep know the master’s voice and follow him. Jesus watches out for the sheep, granting them eternal life! They will never perish! If these sheep belong to Jesus and the Father, no one can snatch them from his hand. No one!

Jesus wraps up his comments with the bold statement, “The Father and I are one.”

In a few sentences, Jesus just summarized Christian doctrine. He was sent by the Father, and through his taking away of our sins, he grants believers eternal life. We are saved by grace through Jesus, the Messiah. Though we have experienced God in three different forms, there is in reality only one God. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

So stay close to Jesus, your ticket to the hereafter. Love God and love your neighbor, but don’t forget to include Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Baa - Baa!

For Thursday, June 19, 2025:

John 10:9 AMP, Jesus speaking: “I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security).”

Since we all live on planet Earth, we’re pretty familiar with the earthly realm. But the Kingdom of God extends into a spiritual realm, about which we know little. Jesus has already been there, and now he’s getting believers up to speed on what it takes to see heaven from the inside.

Notice that Jesus begins many of his testimonies with, “Verily, verily I say unto you,” which is translated, “I assure you,” or, “Very truly I tell you,” or, “I tell you the truth.” Pharisees were present, so I assume they also presented their incorrect version of the hereafter. Jesus is setting the record straight. “Listen up; what I’m telling you is truth!”

Jesus’ entire address uses an agricultural analogy. 2K years ago, it could be assumed that most young people had at one time or another tended a few sheep. That example doesn’t work quite as well in 2025!

Jesus taking away our sin problem opened the door to heaven for mankind. Those walking with Jesus will not only be saved, but will experience eternal life. Believers will have spiritual security, assurance of salvation. That’s what Jesus said, and his words are always true!

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Repent!

June 16, 2025, Monday Message:

Luke 13:2-3 NIV, Jesus speaking: “Do you think that these (murdered) Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Don’t miss the point of Jesus’ teaching. The Bible says that ALL have sinned, so on Judgment Day we’re all in the same boat. It’s up to that judge to separate the sheep from the goats.

Goats may have just continued sinning. Or if their sinning ceased, they never repented. They were never sorry. Goats never squared things up with their fellows or with their maker.

Sheep, on the other hand, have an advocate, a counselor at their side. The Holy Spirit will point out their humble ways and their apologetic attitude. Repentant believers have their past sins wiped away. Jesus took care of that. And with a clean slate, sheep can be welcomed into the Kingdom!

So in a way, it doesn’t seem to matter as much what you did as a sinner, as what you INTEND to do as a repentant believer. Jesus wants us to draw a line in the sand. We all have a past, the before-Jesus time, but believers have a future, the after-Jesus time, and that’s what Heaven is keeping its eye on.

If we applied God’s rules to our criminal justice system, we wouldn’t punish offenders so much for what they did, but for what they intend to do. Of course, we have no way of seeing into the future, so that’s not really practical. But the reason we incarcerate criminals is that we expect their deviant behavior to repeat itself. They need Jesus.

Getting back on the straight and narrow won’t work without Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Jesus Saves!

For Saturday, January 4, 2025:

Matthew 1:21 NLT, Angel speaking to Joseph: “Mary will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Have you ever heard a Christian ask someone, “Are you saved?” The name “Jesus” means, “The Lord saves.” So what we’re really asking is if Jesus is YOUR Lord, and if you’re counting on him for salvation.

Knowing what “Jesus” means in the original language simplifies things. Nothing and no one else found on earth fit that definition. The only thing that God promises will save us from eternal suffering is this one guy, His Son, Jesus the Christ. So we are to put our faith, hope and trust in him. He IS the way; there is no other way!

As mankind transitions to the next reality, God will separate the sheep from the goats. The good sheep will be taken care of by the Good Shepherd, and I want to be in that group!

So stop, and tell your neighbors to stop looking for another way. Jesus is the only way, sent from heaven to earth with a specific purpose: the rescue of mankind! Let him help you!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Judgment!

For Tuesday, December 3, 2024:

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 NLT: “God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.”

As this age comes to an end, the sheep will be separated from the goats. Of course, the sheep will be with their Good Shepherd, Jesus. The goats, who never did obey Jesus, will be judged for their disobedience, the outcome of which will be eternal separation from God and his kingdom.

It will be an exciting time as the New Heaven and the New Earth are created and the word of Jesus becomes the law of the land. Fire, angels and trumpets sounding! Until this time, mankind had the freedom to choose God or to reject God. But now God is asking for your decision. Make up your mind to be one of the good guys!

Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Shepherd!

For Sunday, June 23, 2024:

1 Peter 2:25 NLT: “Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.”

I like sheep. I think they’re cute animals, soft and woolly, but incredibly stupid! Sheep would forget to eat if the shepherd didn’t lead them to where new grass was growing. Sheep would forget to drink water unless the shepherd led them past the pond. Sheep can wander up a ravine, hit a dead end, and not know how to get back out!. Sheep wander away from the herd, because, just like the saying, the grass is always greener somewhere else!

Sheep need a shepherd and mankind need a solid leader. Thank God we know about Jesus the Christ! We can follow him anywhere, and he will keep us safe and well fed. When this life ends, he will prepare a place for believers in his Father’s house. Then we’ll eternally enjoy our shepherd!

What someone commits to being a Christian, their life should change – a lot! This should be a change for the better. We call it a radical transformation, the difference between someone living a sinful life and someone following their new shepherd, Jesus.

Jesus is the only way. He teaches us only truth, and the life he offers is eternal. Jesus wants to be your shepherd! You need one!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Belong to God!

For Saturday, December 2, 2023:

3 John 11 Phillips: “Never let evil be your example, dear friend of mine, but always good. The person who does good belongs to God, but the one who does evil does not know God at all.”

Once again the Bible is separating the sheep from the goats. In this scenario, a church had not been welcoming to itinerant evangelists, traveling workers doing just what Jesus said to do. That is wrong, and the Bible counsels us to not hang out with these people. Instead, be a part of the group that loves their neighbors. When in doubt, just do what Jesus did!

Think about it. It’s easy to come forward during a revival meeting and say a short prayer asking Jesus into your heart. The hard part is figuring out how to best live the rest of your life! Becoming a Christian represents a radical transformation for most people. You might need to make new friends and avoid the old ones. Frankly, your old evil friends will fall by the wayside. They have nothing in common with you any longer. Be intentional about doing the next right thing.

The person who does good is walking with the Lord. “They will know we are Christians by our love!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Swords?

November 6, 2023 Monday Message:

Matthew 10:34 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.”

Remember the sheep and the goats? (Matthew 25:31-46) The sheep, members of Jesus’ flock, in spite of being persecuted, will eventually know Shalom, the peace of the Lord. They are headed for the best place ever – eternity in God’s presence!

The goats, on the other hand, make a lot of their own trouble. Lies, deceit and evil deeds are on their agenda, and sometimes it takes a sword to derail Satan’s plans. Goats are headed for the lake of fire, but there’s a lot of violence along the way.

Jesus coming to earth forces the question, “Will you accept God’s free gift of salvation?” Each one of us must give an answer. Do you believe Jesus is God’s son? Do you believe his forgiveness is your ticket to heaven?

This Holy War goes back to Adam and Eve. Common sense should tell us that the Creator will be victorious over anything that he created!

Salvation follows repentance!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship