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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Analytical
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Tentative
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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

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
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When it was evening on that day, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of [their leaders], Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
-- John 20:19/
What were the disciples feelings that first Easter evening?
And what kind of peace was it that Jesus brought into their midst to them?
"Peace be with you," says Jesus, in fact twice he says it to them      .
What was the nature of the unrest that the disciples were feeling?
The text tells us that they were afraid.
They were afraid of their leaders,
the same ones who had killed Jesus and could very easily be looking for them, too.
*Fear*.
Yes, that's understandable.
But we can imagine many other kinds of feelings, as well.
*Grief*, for instance.
Incredible sorrow for the loss not only of their teacher and leader
but also of their hopes for the salvation from God they were expecting.
It's hard to imagine the depth of their loss.
It must also have come with a great deal of confusion:
/"Why?" they wondered, "why would God let this happen?"
/
They must have been terribly bewildered and confused.
*Guilt*.
The feelings of guilt must also have been tremendous.
·        They had run away, abandoning their teacher at his hour of greatest need.
·        Peter had even denied Jesus three times.
Yes, afraid, grief-stricken, confused, guilty,
the disciples had a great need for Jesus to come into their midst
and bring them peace.
Did we miss anything?
Perhaps we could stimulate our imaginations a bit more
with the writings of Walter Wangerin, Jr.,
          in his novelistic telling of the biblical story,
titled “/The Book of God/.”
You will recognize many of the feelings we have already identified,
but listen for something else, too, as I read his version of this gospel story:
                                                [page 824]
\\ That same evening ten disciples were huddled in the upper room.
The door had been locked more than three days now, the windows shut against spying eyes.
The air was worse than stale.
Thomas, irritated with the others, had gone out to find some food.
Some of the men dozed on their backs on the floor.
Some sat as if in conversation, though no one was speaking.
The table where they'd eaten the Passover last Thursday had been removed.
The side remained.
Two candles burned fitfully on either end of it.
The room shuddered in shadow.
Simon Peter was pacing back and forth like a lion behind bars.
It was his restlessness that caused the candle flames to bow and gutter.
Matthew said.
"I've lost count."
James said, "Of what?"
"How many times the rock-man has thrown himself east and west in our small country."
"That man's a menace."
James said.
"If he lands on someone, he'll crush him -- then there'll be ten of us."
"Grim talk.
James."
"Grim times.
Matthew.
We're hiding here because the leaders want to blot us out.
You know Simon has never been a tranquil man.
But look at him now.
He's out of control.
Who knows what he'll do?
Yes, he could get someone killed."
Andrew said.
"Something's troubling my brother."
"Oh, poor Peter!" James exclaimed.
"As if there's no trouble for anyone else! Jesus is dead.
Does our tender brother mourn him more than the rest of us?"
Andrew put his head down, near tears.
Matthew, as dry as chalk, murmured, "No need for ridicule, James."
John said.
"Maybe Jesus isn't dead!"
James turned on him.
"Women talk!" he sneered.
"The talk of hysterical women!"
"I was at the tomb, James," John said.
"His body was not there."
Matthew spoke moderating words.
"Absence is no proof."
he said.
"A stolen corpse!" James declared.
John said.
"But his windings were still there.
And the cloth that had covered his face was rolled up in a place by itself.
What then, brother?
Neat thieves?
Tidy thieves?"
James fairly shouted: "No need for ridicule, John!
I'm just asking for proof.
I haven't seen any proof."
Andrew raised his eyes and whispered.
"The curtain that hides the Most Holy Place in the Temple -- when Jesus died it tore in two from the top to the bottom."
How did you know that?" James sneered.
"Were you there?"
"No."
Andrew murmured, withdrawing into himself.
"Simon told me.
Simon was there."
James the son of Zebedee jumped up shouting, "What is the /matter/ with you, stone-head.
Don't you have any sense?"
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