Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.09UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.63LIKELY
Sadness
0.14UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.71LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.71LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.92LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.82LIKELY
Extraversion
0.14UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.85LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.55LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Intro
Nature and effect.
Two ways to perceive a thing.
The nature of a thing can be described in terms that are appropriate to it.
The effect is, by necessity, only partially about the thing we describe.
If we described the nature of a pillow, we could use words like down, fluffy, hard, flat, smelly, or like-a-cloud.
These words are appropriate to a pillow.
But if we describe it’s effect, we must take things other than the pillow into account.
A pillow that is too soft and flat for you might be just right for me.
So the effect for you would be a sore neck, but for me a wonderful nights sleep.
The effect must include some outside reference.
Now what if we described the nature of yesterdays Argentina vs. Croatia soccer (ahem… football) game?
Those descriptions of a pillow would hardly be useful in describing the nature of that match.
I scanned coverage of the match and found words like route, unstoppable, quick-fire, off-balanced.
These are appropriate types of word to describe the nature of the game.
but the effect entirely depends on what side of the 3-0 score the team (or fans) are on.
For one, finals.
The other spectators.
For one celebration.
The other aggravation.
And like these two examples, we can examine the nature and the effect of the birth of Jesus.
With consequences inexpressibly greater than a nights sleep or a soccer game, we do well to not only consider, but fix our gaze on Him.
For He is our hope and salvation.
Pray
Ministry of His Person.
God’s Love is...
Present.
Emmanuel - God with us (verse?)
He expressed the love of presence by joining humanity in our place.
He perfected the love of presence by presenting Himself at OUR judgement.
He produces the love of presence by residing with us, in us, through us.
What God is this that dwells with man?
And who am I that He should know my name?
Participant.
It wasn’t enough for God to swoop in and conquer sin.
He dwelt with it before He dealt with it!
God does not participate with sin.
But God is a participant with sinners.
There is often pushback to “Love the sinner, hate the sin”.
It’s incomprehensible to one who has not been redeemed.
But let’s remember that if God’s message of forgiveness and reconciliation required His committed participation in the lives of sinners, we should not expect to see the results He intends without doing likewise!
Personal.
God’s love is expressed in the personal investment He made.
In the flesh.
With all the details and dinginess that can accompany it.
He was spared no discomfort in His birth and upbringing, but shared Himself as an offering of love to us.
He also partook in every trial of pain in death.
God’s forgiveness is personal to us for the redemption He offers us.
But don’t forget it was personal for Him too.
His death was no mirage; His body not less than ours.
Jesus, in his person, gave all he had.
His love demanded it
In each of these things God has loved us.
In his birth they are displayed.
In His death they were made powerful.
And in both of these expressions of love are written in our heart.
Given for our benefit.
Effective for making us holy.
So we are called to follow Him, be like Him, for His love to live in us!
May we seek opportunities to love others in expressions of presence, participating in their lives in a personal manner.
Anything less is sharing less that the love of God.
So we have seen the nature of God’s love expressed in the wonder of Christmas.
Now let’s see the effect of it.
God’s Love Draws Us In.
---> (Verse before fill-in)
The revelation of the nature of God in the ministry of his appearing draws us in.
It drew these shepherds in.
But First, Blown Away!
But before they were drawn in, they were blown away!
I struggle to find the adjectives.
Shepherd keeping watch over their flocks by night.
(v.
8-9)
There’s a good argument to be made that Jesus was bore on September 11th of 3 BC.
If that was the case...
It was dark!
It was likely the first sliver of the crescent moon that would have set less than an hour after sunset.
They wound’t have know anything other than the quiet, cool, dark of a lonely Bethlehem rural hillside.
I’m sure you’ve been woken up sometime when it’s still dark with someone flipping on the light.
This must have been magnitudes above that!
From quite dark solitude - to an angel of the Lord and the glory of the Lord surrounding!
Message of the Messiah (v.
10-14)
Fear not!
Nice try!!
But there’s a message of great joy! - The Messiah is born!
“And this will be a sign...” It seems the angel and the glory of God and the multitude of angels would be the sign.
But NO!
The sign is the absolute normal thing of a new born baby wrapped just like you’d expect.
Has there ever been a birth announcement like this?
And there will never be another one again.
Then Come and Wonder.
They found a new priority.
Where they were just concerned with sheep, they now were intent on the King!
They were just doing their job, they now find new purpose.
What they had seen was wonderful - and they HAD to share that wonder!
The effect of Jesus birth transformed the perspective of the shepherds.
And when Jesus transforms us, He make us to transform others.
They transmitted the wonder
I wonder how that went down.
Are shepherds like ranchers?
I don’t see a bunch of ranchers bringing news like this in a gentle quiet manner.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9