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
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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ATTENTION
Some of you haven’t heard, but Santa Claus has a problem this year.
He’s negotiated a new contract with his union and sent out this letter:
I regret to inform you that, effective immediately, I will no longer be able to serve Southern United States on Christmas Eve.
Due to the overwhelming current population of the earth, my contract was renegotiated by North American Fairies and Elves Local 209.
I now serve only certain areas of Canada and the northern boarder states.
However, I made certain that your children will be in good hands with your local replacement who happens to be my third cousin, Bubba Claus.
His side of the family is from the South Pole.
He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls; however, there are a few differences between us.
Differences such as:
1.
There is no danger of a Grinch stealing your presents from Bubba Claus.
He has a gun rack on his sleigh and a bumper sticker that reads: These toys insured by Smith and Wesson.
2. Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children leave an RC cola and pork rinds [or a moon pie] on the fireplace.
And Bubba doesn’t smoke a pipe.
He dips a little snuff though, so please have an empty spit can handy.
3. Bubba Claus; sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flying coon dogs instead of reindeer.
I made the mistake of loaning him a couple of my reindeer one time, and Blitzen’s head now overlooks Bubba’s fireplace.
4.
You won’t hear On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen . .
., when Bubba Claus arrives.
Instead, you’ll hear, On Earnhardt, on Wallace, on Martin and Labonte.
On Rudd, on Jarrett, on Elliott and Petty.
5. Ho, ho, ho! has been replaced by “Yee Haw!”
And you also are likely to hear Bubba’s elves respond, “I herd dat!”
6.
As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus’ sleigh does have a Yosemite Sam safety triangle on the back with the words “Back off”.
7. The usual Christmas movie classics such as “Miracle on 34th Street” and It’s a “Wonderful Life” will not be shown in your negotiated viewing area.
Instead, you’ll see “Boss Hogg Saves Christmas” and “Smokey and the Bandit IV” featuring Burt Reynolds as Bubba Claus and dozens of state patrol cars crashing into each other.
8. Bubba Claus doesn’t wear a belt.
If I were you, I’d make sure you, the wife, and the kids turn the other way when he bends over to put presents under the tree.
Sincerely Yours, Santa Claus
NEED
You know the sad thing is that some of us are going, “What’s so different about that?”
I guess Christmas is kind of different everywhere, and certainly it is here in the south.
But no matter where you live, some things about Christmas are always the same.
You see, no matter where the celebration is, you’ll find that Scrooge is always present.
That’s right, whether you’re in Rochester or Raleigh, you’ll hear the “Bah, Humbugs” flying.
Now when I say “Scrooge,” I’m not talking about someone who doesn’t like to participate in the trappings of Christmas.
Yes, you may be a little out-of-step if you don’t put up a Christmas tree, nor wear out your credit card buying expensive and, sometimes, meaningless gifts.
But that’s not what makes you a Scrooge, at least not in the way I’m talking about.
When I say a person is a Scrooge, I am talking about those people who don’t believe in the spiritual part of Christmas, and if that’s the definition, there are plenty of Scrooges around us.
Have a Christmas party, and everyone will go, but have Christmas worship and see who doesn’t show.
Light up your Christmas tree and everyone will pause to wonder, but light up the criss-crossed tree and very few will stop to ponder.
You see, if I celebrate the social Christmas without connecting with the spiritual Christmas, I, quite frankly, am a Scrooge.
Some of us have become Scrooges and others have become Grinches.
Now the problem with the original Grinch is that he wanted to destroy it because no one ever wanted to celebrate it with him.
He thought Christmas was for everyone else . . .
just not for him.
And there are some grinches here this morning.
You see, you look at the joy everyone else has with Christmas and you feel kind of empty.
You may even have, what looks like from the outside at least, a perfect situation.
You may have a happy family and great health, but on the inside there is this emptiness.
You get up on Christmas morning and if we could put a microphone inside your spirit and eavesdrop on your innermost thoughts we’d hear you asking “Is this all there is?
Why am I so discontent?
I should be happy, but there’s this huge emptiness inside of me.”
You see, you’re a grinch.
You think the real, deep lasting joy of Christmas is for everyone except you.
Well, to all Scrooges and to all Grinches the prophet, Isaiah, has something to say.
Read his words with me in Isa 9:2
The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
You may not remember now, but last year we dealt with this passage, covering the first two names of Christ given here.
He is the “Wonderful Counselor,” and the “Mighty God.”
This Christmas I want to turn your attention to those next two names.
He is the “Everlasting Father” and the “Prince of Peace.”
Today we’re looking at the Biblical title for our Messiah.
He is called the “Everlasting Father,” and, believe it or not, that name addresses those of you who may be Scrooges or Grinches here today.
Those two descriptions of Christ address two different doubts many people have about Him.
In the first place, Scrooges say this about Our Everlasting Father.
They say:
DIV 1: HE CAN’T HANDLE MY PROBLEM
EXPLANATION
Call Him everlasting if you want to, but I don’t see anything so wonderful about the Messiah.
Well, if you feel that way, you’d have fit right into Isaiah’s society.
They had pretty much lost hope.
Now, don’t blame them, they just took their cue from their government.
Not many years before, the people of Judah had celebrated the powerful reign of Uzziah.
He had a reputation.
He was a fighter and an awesome administrator.
If He’d have been a quarterback, he’d have had a superbowl ring.
Hope grew, dreams materialized, security was taken for granted, and the sky was the limit.
But, at the top of his game, Uzziah exalted himself instead of God and he fell from favor.
His fall was followed by sixteen years of decline until Ahaz, his grandson came to power.
By that time Syria and Ephraim were major threats and Ahaz was afraid.
He didn’t have the courage nor the passion to fight, so he sought to appease his enemies and he was willing to sell his soul to do it.
His policies said to the surrounding kings, “Want me to adopt your gods?
No problem!
Just don’t attack me.
Want me to pay you tribute?
Cool.
I’ll just tax my people into oblivion.
Just don’t invade me?
Want me to sell my soul to the devil?
Write up the contract and I’ll sign it with my own blood.
Just don’t take me captive!
And his compromise seals his judgment.
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