Sermons & Worship by Rev. Dr. Louise Barger (Page 4)

A Biblical Example of Choosing a Leader Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; 1 Thessalonians There are many reasons why a people may find themselves needing to search for a new leader. In our text today we find that there was the need for a replacement for the King of Israel. We also know that God was already preparing the person whom God would choose to become the next King. The nation of Israel was ruled as a theocracy, a…

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-17; Isaiah 40:28 – 31: Psalm 121; Romans 8:35, 37-38 The strength and the majesty of Eagles in flight is a wonder to behold. There is an island in the Mississippi River north of St. Louis that is a nesting place for eagles. One can go there and stand on the bank of the river and watch the eagles as they fly onto and off of the island. Eagles are giant birds with great wing spans that lift…

I Samuel 17:4-10,40-45; Psalm 59:1-8, 16-17; Philippians 4:4-7 Israel had a problem. His name was Goliath. He stood 10 feet tall and morning and evening, day by day, he came out to meet the army of Israel. This giant of a man carried on his body He was a one-man war machine. Israel was not unaccustomed to great trials. They had escaped from Egypt. They had survived as a nation in the face of hunger and thirst and serpents and…

Scripture: Zechariah 7:9-10; Psalm 145:14-21; Matthew 11:1-6 John the Baptist was in a Roman prison awaiting certain execution. John was the cousin of Jesus through his mother Elizabeth and Mary the mother of Jesus. John had been the one chosen by God to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus and the message that Jesus would proclaim. How could John ever have imagined that he would find himself in prison for speaking truth to power? For sure, John was…

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:1-3; Psalm 62:5-8; Acts 10:1-8 We need to know the stories of our faith, the stories of those who have gone before us. We need to know the We need to Even though Jesus had referred to Peter as a “rock,” sometimes that rock was not as strong as we might think it was. Most often we read about But Peter would continue to struggle with who he was and with whom he was to become. When Dorcus…

Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:9-13; Psalm 66:1-9; Ephesians 2:19-22 Well, here we are. It’s the last great holiday weekend of the summer and it’s celebrated with sunscreen, water sports, the last weekend at the lake, and another day to sleep in. Somehow the entrepreneurs haven’t figured out how to get us to buy Labor Day cards and Labor Day gifts…yet. While Labor Day does not mark one of the Christian holidays, there is every biblical reason to understand that our labor, and…

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 150; Matthew 16:13-17 The person who has become known as one of the greatest makers of violins who ever lived was Stradivari. There was also Guarneri, but not as well known. For all of the years since the death of Stradivari, makers of violins have tried to discover his secrets. One of his violins is in a museum in Italy. It is locked in a case that has temperature and humidity controls so that it can…

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-10; Psalm 139:1-6; Hebrews 3:1-13 God never leaves God’s people without a leader. Joshua is set apart by God to lead the Hebrews in the wilderness after the death of Moses. Moses had brought the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt and had led them for 40 years during their wandering in the desert. After the 40 years had passed, a new generation of people now had an identity as God’s people. The time in the desert had…

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-10; Psalm 146:8-10; Romans 12:1-3 When we look at any of the writings of the prophets, we are reminded about how difficult the people of God found it to be faithful in their relationship which they had established with God through the Covenant of the Law. Their greatest difficulty seems to have been with the commandments that were given to maintain that relationship with Yahweh, namely, the ones that God declared to them, saying, Because they were unable…

Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-24; Psalm 33:1-4; Romans 5:1-5 There is a familiar saying, “What was old is new again.” Today’s text from Lamentations is old, about the result of the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah as a whole by Babylon, and it is new again as we witness the war and devastation in this present day. We have already talked about the return and the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, but we must not forget what the people lived through…