Sam Waldron Sermons

Celebration Sunday on campus at Lock Haven University. My last message at the Common Place Church. One of the greatest gifts of God is the calling to do "good works" and join Him in the mission of the redemption of all things. But what happens when we prioritize the work and our accomplishments over the relationship with Christ? We might just miss the Best Part.

In the darkest, toughest moments of our lives, it is hard to believe that God is present. Yet through Jesus and his suffering, we find God working in the pain, closer than ever before. His presence gives the pain purpose.

Where on earth do you go to find value, identity, and purpose? We all look into various mirrors that reflect back at us one or all of these three things. The problem is, most of those mirrors send back false, warped images. In Psalm 8 we come to an important truth: When we understand who God IS, we discover who we ARE.

Why is it that we have such a hard time accomplishing goals we set for our lives? What about the main goal of Loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength? It is because the goal hasn't seeped down into our routines. In Deuteronomy 6, it is evident that loving God with our whole lives begins in monotonous every day activities. How can we RESET our routines to help us love God completely?

In our sermon series, Investigating the Gospels, we are asking BIG questions about our faith. This week the question was simply, "What about the Church?" After 2000 years of Church history, there seems to be at least 2000 different interpretations of that word. When we look at Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17 and response from the early Christians in Acts 2, it becomes more clear what Jesus intended His church to look like.

God's favorite command to His people has always been, "Don't give up!" But many times that is easier said than done. When we look at Mary's story in the Gospels (Luke 2:1-7) we find a woman who Persevered and never gave up on the calling God had placed on her life. What can we learn from her journey that might encourage us when the going gets tough?

Our series, Investigating the Gospels, focused on the BIG questions about our faith that we may be too afraid to ask. This week, the question was one that many non-believers and believers alike have asked, "Is there more to life than this?" Looking at the teachings and life of Jesus as recorded in John it becomes clear that we were made for so much more than the demands of worldly success, popularity, and wealth.

Reconciliation has been the vision of the Good Shepherd all along.

As we are led out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, He brings us to the table that He has prepared for us beforehand. Now is the time to enjoy the Lord's blessings, but as we approach the table we find ourselves in the presence of our enemies. How could this be? Listen as we learn from King David's example (and Christ's) as he joined his enemy at the Lord's Table of Reconciliation.

Even in the wilderness, even when the enemy is after us, our Good Shepherd provides and leads our soul to find Rest. David had tons of distractions trying to pull him away from flourishing, yet God provided for him in every way. What are some distractions that keep us from missing out on the REST the Lord provides?

1 Samuel 18-22

A message given at the LHU Common Ground Spring Retreat at the Seig Conference Center. The room was filled with Christian college students representing three different campus ministries at Lock Haven University. This was the first of three main sessions. The purpose was to give a Biblical foundation for Unity.