Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 44 results

1. An Arranged Wedding, But An Intentional Marriage

Genesis 24:1-67

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Can anyone doubt the troubled state of marriage? Across the nation, we average one divorce decree for every two marriage licenses. In some parts of the country, as many divorce as marry each year. In spite of this high divorce rate, people do not give up marrying. In fact, a higher percentage of people marry today than a century ago. It seems this problem can, at least in part, be traced to the hi...

2. Be Ready for the Possibility of the Resurrection

John 20:1-18

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The last couple of days have been extremely difficult for the followers of Jesus. Thursday, after they had shared a last supper together, the Lord went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. There he was arrested by the religious authorities and put on trial in the court of Caiaphas, the high priest. Jesus was charged with blasphemy: false religious teaching. Had Caiaphas heard sufficient evidence t...

3. Blago and Radnan, Two Lost Sons

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The topic of today’s gospel reading is the very familiar parable of the prodigal son. It is found in Luke 15 and immediately follows the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. In the first few verses of this chapter, Luke gave us the context. The scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ audience were grumbling. “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” To paraphrase Jesus’ response, “Well,...

4. Can I Get Some Help Over Here?

John 14:23-29

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

It is not an uncommon scene. A couple of young men found their way into the weight room at the local exercise facility. They were, perhaps, thirteen or fourteen years of age; just beginning to approach manhood; each day the sweetness of self-confidence grows within them. At first they lingered at the edge of the weight room admiring that small group that inhabits every work-out facility. These fe...

5. Christianity's Initial Growth

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

R. Robert Cueni

In less than 100 years the fire of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was carried as far as Spain to the west, India to the east, and Ethiopia to the south. It subsequently took several hundred years for the Gospel to arrive in the northern reaches of Europe, but it did. Down through the centuries the flames of the Fire burned brightly. The Christian faith gained and its ranks grew because people who were...

6. Climbing Rainbows Through The Rain

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The scripture lesson for this morning trips its way through the sixth, seventh and eighth chapters of the book of Genesis. This includes most of the account of Noah and the Great Flood. For reasons you might or might not consider obvious, this part of the Bible generates considerable debate. From time to time, the controversy spills into the public arena. In February 1993, CBS had a two-hour prim...

7. Divine Dinner Party Decorum

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Luke opens the fourteenth chapter by telling us that Jesus "was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath," and that "they were watching him closely." Notice four important details in this one verse. First, notice that Jesus is a guest at a dinner party. Important things happen when people gather for dinner. Table talk provides a forum for friends and families t...

8. Don't Sell Your Inheritance for Cabbage Soup

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Paul, the greatest missionary of the Christian era, once remarked that God doesn't always use the wisest, strongest and most moral people to bring his message. Instead God uses the foolish, the weak and the lowly -- just to prove a point (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). That truth certainly holds when it comes to those chosen by God as the patriarchs of ancient Israel. Consider our scripture lesson for th...

9. Empowered By A Vision

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

If your mother taught you to say only nice things about other people, Jacob will push you to the outer limits of your imagination. This younger of the twins born to Isaac and Rebekah has few redeeming qualities. He takes advantage of every available weakness in others. The older twin, Esau, must have had the common sense of a fence post. On two different occasions, Jacob cheats him of his birthrig...

10. Fire Falling from Heaven

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Jesus spends much of the twelfth chapter of Luke reassuring and encouraging his followers in the face of possible catastrophic circumstance. "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more" (v. 4). "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life" (v. 22). "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kin...

11. From Deep Unto Deep

Luke 22:14--23:56

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

On the Christian calendar, today begins the last week of Lent.1 The forty days between Shrove Tuesday, at the end of Mardi Gras, and the Saturday before Easter are intended as a time for prayer, meditation, reflection, and repentance. Generally speaking, the serious nature of Lent makes it emotionally a rather dreary time. During Holy Week, the mood moves from dreary to downright lugubrious. Next...

12. From His Arrest to His Crucifixion and Burial

John 18:1--19:42

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

It was the last week of July 2013. An ultramodern, high speed passenger train neared the end of a six-hour trip from Madrid to the northwest Spanish city of Ferrol. The train entered a long, steep curve on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela. Those of us watching the slow motion security camera video realized immediately that this was not going to end well. The train was traveling 120 miles pe...

13. Good-Bye Mardi Gras, Hello Lent

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, begins today. Traditionally, Lent is marked by prayer, fasting, self-reflection, and repentance. Lent is sufficiently serious that some Christian calendars have installed a season to prepare for it. It is called Mardi Gras. Whereas Lent projects a somber, almost lugubrious mood with a theme of denial and self-discipline, Mardi Gras is just the opposite. ...

14. "Gotcha" Questions from Mean-Spirited People

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

It is that fateful final week of the earthly ministry of Jesus. On Sunday the people of Jerusalem welcome the Lord and his entourage with a parade. A crowd lines the main street. They cheer and spread their cloaks on the dusty road. Jesus rides a borrowed donkey. He comes down the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, through an ancient gate, and into the city. The crowd chants as he rides pa...

15. In Praise of Perseverance

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The newspaper cartoon is a favorite. It concerns the daily adventures of a family with attentive parents and small children. The scene shows the little boy and his mother walking out the front door of the church at the close of the Sunday morning service. There is snow on the church's front lawn. The child revels in wonder. He says, “Yes! My prayin’ worked.” The reader is left to imagine the prev...

16. It Is Always the Third Day

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

We know the story well. Jesus was journeying toward Jerusalem. When he arrived in the capital city, he would be welcomed with a great parade. The crowd along the main street would cheer, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 13:35). A few days after that, the crowd would turn on Jesus. He would face a trial, crucifixion, death, and burial. Then, on the third day, Christ w...

17. Jesus' Most Perplexing Parable

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

In the scripture lesson for today Jesus tells a perplexing parable about a thoroughly dishonest employee who was praised for his dishonesty. In this story Jesus not only seems comfortable suggesting that it is acceptable to compromise with moral failings, but our Lord appears to commend his disciples to "go and do likewise." For centuries, preachers, commentators, and scholars have struggled to ma...

18. Known By Our Love

John 13:31-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Jesus and the apostles were celebrating that last supper together. Because Jesus was aware Judas was going to betray him, the Lord confronted him. It is an especially uncomfortable conversation that Jesus concluded by telling Judas, “Do quickly what you must do” (13:27). After the apostle of betrayal slithered out of the room, Jesus turned his attention to those who remained. After a few prelimin...

19. Living Between the Times

John 17:20-26

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

On the church’s calendar, today is called the “Seventh Sunday of Easter.” Actually it is not a particularly familiar holy day. It is simply the Sunday that comes between the Ascension of our Lord and Pentecost, the birthday of Christ’s church. In other words, today is one of those “between the times Sunday.” It falls between Jesus leaving his followers by ascending into heaven and the coming of t...

20. On Welcoming the Imperfect

John 10:22-30

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Our gospel lesson for the day opens with John telling us it is time for the Festival of Dedication. Over the centuries, this festival has evolved into what we know as Hanukah. It commemorates events that occurred about a century and a half before the birth of Christ. Since Hanukah is usually in November or December some Christians mistakenly think of it as Jewish Christmas. It is not. If anything,...

21. Pride Is a Noxious Weed in the Garden of Life

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The gospel reading for this week is the parable about two very different men, a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to pray at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a familiar story. In fact, it is so familiar that some of the surprising edge has worn smooth with the retelling. To grasp its meaning more fully, we need to listen again with fresh ears and open hearts. A little background information migh...

22. Saints Are Awake to Life's Deepest Joy

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Today we observe All Saints. Because it is an important celebration, we need to come to some agreement on what is meant by a "saint." If you Google the word, you discover many different definitions and understandings. Among some Protestant groups, every Christian becomes a saint upon joining the "Church Triumphant." In that understanding, All Saints honors and remembers all who have died in Christ...

23. Tenders Of The Sacred Fire

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Today is Pentecost, the day of the Sacred Fire. It was less than two months since the crucifixion of our Lord. The apostles and other followers of Jesus still spent most of their time in a borrowed room in Jerusalem. They were still too frightened to tell their story to the world. They were waiting for something to happen. They believed somehow God would give them a message of what to do and then ...

24. The Ascension Day Experience

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

The official ecclesiastical designation for this day is “The Feast of the Ascension.” In keeping with its name, it commemorates the day the risen Christ ascended into heaven. Saint Augustine contended this holy day was first observed in the apostolic era. That would make it one of the earliest Christian holidays. By tradition, the date was established as the 39 days after Easter. That means it sho...

25. The Awesome Power of FUD

John 21:1-19

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

It happened many years ago, but I remember the experience as if it was yesterday. It was late September and I was in the first grade. The teacher assigned an art project. “Draw a picture of a boat. Do your very best,” she instructed. I was excited. I specialized in drawing boats, particularly the ships of the United States Navy. My mother always praised my boat pictures. With the precision ordin...

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