Worship Sundays at 10:00 a.m.300 Union Street
Northfield, MN 55057
507-645-7532
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By Sandy Johnson, on December 28th, 2008
 We always have a service of Carols and Stories on the Sunday after Christmas. The stories are mostly from children’s books, but of course children’s books are not just for children. [The links below are to amazon.com because that is the easier place to get information about these beautiful books — which you can always order from your independent book seller if you prefer!)
We began with The Huron Carol, with beautiful illustrations (by Frances Tyrrell) of this hymn written about 1648 by Father Jean de Brebeuf for the Huron Indians who lived in what is now Ontario, Canada.
Continue reading Carols and Stories
By Sandy Johnson, on December 25th, 2008
 I was thinking about the way that the Roman Census set in motion all the events of Christmas, which got me to thinking about counting … and about who counts …
Who Counts?
Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 Luke 2:1-20
They went to be registered, to be listed in the record books of the Roman Empire. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem because the Romans wanted to count them – along with all the other inhabitants of their Empire.
There is some irony in that, because the whole story of the birth of Jesus is peopled with people who didn’t count for much – Mary and Joseph for starters.
Continue reading Christmas Eve: Who Counts
By Andrea Pegram, on December 24th, 2008
… from our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, who wrote their own Christmas Pageant to share with the younger children in the Sunday School:
Innkeeper (Alex Battiste)
I am the innkeeper. One night the town was crowded, because everyone had to come and be counted for the census. There was a knock on the door. A man and woman who looked very tired were standing there. The woman was pregnant. I said there were no empty rooms, but they begged for a place to stay. I said they could sleep in my barn. Continue reading Views of Christmas…
By Sue Mieska, on December 22nd, 2008
Many of our youngest members provided beautiful music on Sunday for the entire congregation to enjoy.
By Sandy Johnson, on December 21st, 2008
 The rose is often used as a symbol of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In this sermon I explored the image of the rose and what Advent lessons roses might teach us. Warning, though, when I was writing the sermon I lost track of how many roses I had named — so I think there are two “fourth roses” — though I caught the error while I was preaching ..
Roses
Luke 1:26-38: Luke 1:46-55
Every Advent we run into Mary and it is always something of a surprise to us. Unlike our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, we don’t much think about Mary during the rest of the year. And then she appears in the Christmas pageant, wearing the blue cloak and white headdress and offering her enigmatic post-partum smile to the shepherds, angels, and magi.
Continue reading Roses for Advent
By Sandy Johnson, on December 20th, 2008
If you are hoping to have a more meaningful Christmas with your family this year, consider sharing this simple service sometime on Christmas Eve.
Take a few minutes for everyone to settle down, gather around your table, light a candle, and read the words of scripture that make this truly a “holy night.” [...]
By Sandy Johnson, on December 18th, 2008
Want to liven up your Christmas caroling this year? How about singing an old standard (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas), but in LATIN? Here are the words, compliments of our music director Chris Brunelle (who also teaches classics at St. Olaf).
Te decent nives, nox Christi, similliman praeteritis:
renitet cacumen, in natum numen pubes [...]
By Sandy Johnson, on December 8th, 2008
 I wish I could show you the John the Baptist tree ornament a member made me a couple of years ago — it is made of sandpaper. After all, John was a sandpaper person — rough, but in a way that prepares us for the coming of Christ. Here’s how I worked that idea into a sermon …
Sandpaper
Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8
Who is this man? And what is he doing barging into our Advent time? We’re supposed to be getting ready for Christmas.
Well, John the Baptist is doing the same thing: he’s getting ready for Christmas – but in a way quite different from the way we are getting ready. John came as a messenger, the one preparing the way. He was the ancient equivalent of today’s political operatives known as “advance men.”
Continue reading Sandpaper
By Sue Mieska, on December 8th, 2008
Each Sunday one of our members begins our worship service by welcoming everyone. Below is this week’s welcome.
Good Morning! Whatever has brought you to this place at this time, we welcome you, and hope that this hour we spend together in worship and prayer will refresh you and renew [...]
By Sandy Johnson, on December 2nd, 2008
We are part of the United Church of Christ, a liberal protestant denomination of 5600 local churches and a million-and-a-half members. Want to know more about this big family of ours? I invite you to start reading United Church News.
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