Worship Sundays at 10:00 a.m.300 Union Street
Northfield, MN 55057
507-645-7532
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By Sandy Johnson, on March 30th, 2008
 The New Testament tells us a lot about Jesus — but even so, we really only get the highlights. In this sermon for March 30, 2008, I reflect about what makes a story worthy of being a “highlight.”
Book of Life
1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31; 21:25
Last Tuesday evening, Jean, her mom, and I went to the Ordway theatre in St. Paul to see a performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone” (which was, by the way, quite a charming evening of musical theatre). On the way back to our car we couldn’t help overhearing the conversation behind us. A young woman looked across the street and asked what the building was. “The library,” answered her companion.
“That whole building is full of books?”
Continue reading Book of Life — Sermon for March 30, 2008
By Sandy Johnson, on March 29th, 2008
This is from a column I wrote originally for the Northfield News:
After any big holiday or holy day, there is always a kind of lull in the activity of congregations. Some of that is simple fatigue, I think – people are worn out from the preparations and celebrations that go with these special [...]
By Sandy Johnson, on March 23rd, 2008
 Most of the angels in the Bible greet humans by saying “Be Not Afraid.” These are hard words to hear — especially in our world where there seem to be new things to be afraid of nearly every day. Easter has something to teach us about living without being controlled by our fears. That’s the theme I explore in this sermon for March 23, 2008.
Do Not Be Afraid
Jeremiah 31:1-6 Matthew 28:1-10
The angel of the Lord said it to Zechariah: “Do not be afraid, for your prayer is heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” [Luke 1:13]
The angel Gabriel said it to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” [Luke 1:30]
Continue reading Do Not Be Afraid – An Easter Sermon
By Sandy Johnson, on March 21st, 2008
Someone who read my description of our service last Sunday was uneasy with the idea of “blessing toothbrushes.” She couldn’t tell for sure whether we were serious or not about praying over the toothbrushes that our volunteers will be taking with them on a mission trip to Nicaragua.
We were serious – for at [...]
By Ed Lufkin, on March 17th, 2008
We now have 40+ photos in the First UCC sesquicentennial photo album. The celebration was held back in 2006. See the album or this slideshow:
By Ed Lufkin, on March 17th, 2008
See the album of 25 Cropwalk 2007 photos or this slideshow:
Locally Grown also has photos of the event. See their Oct. 1 Cropwalk photos blog post.
By Sue Mieska, on March 17th, 2008
Here’s The Chronicle for March, 2008 (PDF).
By Sue Mieska, on March 17th, 2008
Click here to get the calendar.
By Sandy Johnson, on March 17th, 2008
In some churches you can count on the service going “by the book” – literally. The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, the Roman Catholic Missal, and the Lutheran Book of Worship all contain the prayers, responses, and readings that make up a Sunday morning worship service – every Sunday. Our church comes from a [...]
By Sandy Johnson, on March 15th, 2008
I just sent off packages to my two grown daughters, each with a small silly gift from the Palm Sunday Duck. The PSD is not as well known as her friend the Easter Bunny, but she does get to come a week earlier.The tradition began with a joke between my mother and me when [...]
By Sandy Johnson, on March 15th, 2008
Who are Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego? And what are they doing in Northfield?The answers will be revealed Sunday morning at First UCC, when energetic young singers and actors lead the service with their presentation of “It’s Cool in the Furnace.”
The narrative comes from the third chapter of the Book of Daniel, but reading [...]
By Ed Lufkin, on March 9th, 2008
Here is the sermon preached by our seminarian, Damen Heitman, on Mar. 9, 2008.
John 11:1-45
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Officially, this Sunday is known as the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Not a very exciting or exhilarating moniker. We are still a week away from Palm Sunday and two weeks away from Easter Sunday. See those title are intriguing, I want to know more about those. But the fifth Sunday of Lent? That sounds like just another Sunday. Boring, dry, etc. etc. So what can be done about that? More…Well, I don’t who is on the Commission on Sunday Titles Committee, but if they ever ask me to rename the fifth Sunday in Lent, I would recommend they call it coming attractions Sunday or perhaps sneak peak Sunday. Continue reading Unbound and Set Free
By Sandy Johnson, on March 2nd, 2008
 I used to think that if I said a thing one time,that was enough. But our faith stories have to be told over and over again. That’s the theme of this sermon from March 2, 2008.
Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41
Sticking with Your Story
This is a long story. In fact, all of the stories we will hear during this Lenten season are from the gospel of John, and they are all long stories: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and today, the healing of the man blind since birth. Each of these stories is long and complex, and there are good reasons why.
Continue reading Sticking with Your Story
By Sue Mieska, on March 1st, 2008
Here are the sermons from 2007 and early 2008. We’re now posting sermons to the blog rather than archiving them on a page.
Continue reading Archived sermons
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Rev. Cindy Mueller and Rev. Dr. Bob Griggs
Office Hours 9am-2pm, Tuesday-Friday
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