Sermons from December 2025

A Christmas sermon based on John 1:1-14, Rev. J. Orlando Flahn The lyrics for “Mary, Did You Know?”, the beloved Christmas classic, were written by Mark Lowry in 1984, and the music was composed by gospel artist Buddy Greene in 1991: “Mary, did you know That your baby boy will one day walk on water? Mary, did you know That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Did you know That your baby boy has come to make…

A Christmas Eve sermon based on Isaiah 9:2, Rev. Dr. Jon Diefenthaler, Sr Pastor Emeritus, Our Savior Lutheran Church

A Christmas Eve sermon based on Isaiah 9:1-7, Rev. J. Orlando Flahn INTRO: A television interviewer was walking the streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk and asked, “What is the meaning of Christmas?” Laughing, she responded, “I don’t know. Is that the day that Jesus died?” (Donald Deffner, Seasonal Illustrations, San Jose: Resource, 1992, p. 16). Well, there…

A sermon based on Luke 1:39-45, Rev. Dr. Jon Diefenthaler, Sr Pastor Emeritus, Our Savior Lutheran Church Today is the final Advent Sunday, and for many of us it is the onset of the Christmas week. In just a few days, we will gather once again for special worship services on Christmas Eve and possibly even Christmas Day. In addition, what makes these days so precious is the “company” of family who will join us, whether these relatives come to…

A sermon by Guest Pastor Rudy Kampia Expectant parents engage in exciting thoughts and actions. Do they want to know the gender before the birth? Or do they want to have a gender reveal party? How will the name of the new baby be chosen? How will this child affect the future of their lives? Today we look at some ancient “gender reveals” and the naming of yet unborn children. In the Bible, a name often tells us a lot…

A sermon based on Luke 1:5-25 , Rev. J. Orlando Flahn Have you ever experienced hurt at home? Our world is flawed, and we all go through painful situations. These may arise from poor choices made by adults in our lives if we are children, from our own decisions, or simply from living in a broken world. In this week’s Gospel reading, we encounter the home of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1), who have endured the significant pain of being…

A sermon based on Matthew 1:1-17, Rev. Dr. Jon Diefenthaler, Sr Pastor Emeritus, Our Savior Lutheran Church For many Christians around the world, the First Sunday in Advent marks the beginning of new church year. It’s also a good time for all of us to make a new start in our spiritual lives. And it’s one of the reasons the season here at Our Savior provides not only four Sunday services, but three worship opportunities on Wednesday evenings at 7pm.…