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

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
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*EASTER 3, YEAR C,
APRIL 29, 2001 - AFTERNOON                                                                   
WEST MECKLENBURG CHARGE                                                                       
FIELDS UMC, EPHESUS UMC, FRIENDSHIP UMC*
 
! THANK YOU
!
LET US PRAY
!
READ THE ACTS LESSON
!  
! ACTS 9:1-19a
*The conversion of Saul  *
!
9Meanwhile Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord’s disciples.
He went to the high priest2and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorize him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of the Way, men or women, that he might find.3It
happened that while he was traveling to Damascus and approaching the city, suddenly a light from heaven shone all round him.4He
fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’5‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked, and the answer came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.6Get
up and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless, for though they heard the voice they could see no one.8Saul
got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing at all, and they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand.9For
three days he was without his sight and took neither food nor drink.10There was a disciple in Damascus called Ananias, and he had a vision in which the Lord said to him, ‘Ananias!’
When he replied, ‘Here I am, Lord,’11the Lord said, ‘Get up and go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus.
At this moment he is praying,12and has seen a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give him back his sight.’13But in response, Ananias said, ‘Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and all the harm he has been doing to your holy people in Jerusalem.14He
has come here with a warrant from the chief priests to arrest everybody who invokes your name.’15The
Lord replied, ‘Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;16I myself will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’17Then
Ananias went.
He entered the house, and laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’18It was as though scales fell away from his eyes and immediately he was able to see again.
So he got up and was baptised,19and after taking some food he regained his strength.[1]
*           *
*SAUL WAS A RELIGIOUS MAN, *
!! MOST LIKELY A WELL EDUCATED PHARISEE…
*DEDICATED TO THE GOD OF HIS FATHERS,*
*THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, & JACOB.*
*HE WAS ANXIOUS TO STAMP OUT THIS NEW HERESY *
*CALLED /THE WAY/.*
*HE WAS EFFICIENT, METHODICAL, *
*COLD-BLOODED, AND DANGEROUS.
*
*IN OTHER WORDS *
*HE WAS PERFECTLY EQUIPPED *
*FOR HIS ASSUMED ROLE *
*AS CHIEF ANTAGONIST *
*TO GET RID OF THE NEW CANCER *
*THAT WAS GROWING INSIDE JUDAISM.
*
* *
*GOD, HOWEVER, HAD DIFFERENT PLANS.*
*GOD… OFTEN… HAS… DIFFERENT… PLANS.*
*SAUL WAS NOT SEEKING JESUS.*
*SAUL WAS SEEKING… THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS.*
*SAUL WAS CERTAINLY NOT SEEKING A VISION OF JESUS.*
*HE WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED THAT AS BLASPHEMY *
*AND EVEN THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS *
*CLAIMED THAT JESUS HAD ALREADY ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN.*
*NEVERTHELESS, IT CAME…*
*SUDDENLY, AND POWERFULLY, IT CAME.*
*A LIFE CHANGING VISION WAS THRUST UPON SAUL…*
*A BRIGHT LIGHT, SO BRIGHT, SAUL WAS BLINDED…*
*AND A VOICE, “SAUL, SAUL…WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?”*
*SAUL WAS MEANT TO LEARN *
*THAT BY PERSECUTING THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS, *
*HE WAS IN FACT PERSECUTING JESUS HIMSELF.*
*REMEMBER WHAT JESUS SAID TO HIS FOLLOWERS IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL:  /“In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”*[2]*/*
*SAUL, AFTER THE VISION, WAS NOW HELPLESS.*
*HE WAS LED BY HIS COMPANIONS INTO THE VERY CITY *
*WHERE HE HAD PLANNED TO BEGIN A NEW PERSECUTION.*
* *
*GOD WAS ALSO AT WORK SIMULTANEOUSLY *
*IN ANOTHER MAN’S LIFE,*
*ANANIAS.*
*ANANIAS WAS A FOLLOWER OF JESUS…*
*ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS…*
*MAYBE EVEN ONE OF THOSE *
*WHOM SAUL HAD PLANNED TO ARREST *
*AND HAVE IMPRISONED.*
*BUT ANANIAS IS RELUCTANT, TOO...*
*TO FOLLOW GOD’S PLAN.*
*GOD ENTERS ANANIAS’ LIFE BY WAY OF*
*A POWERFUL VISION…*
*BUT ANANIAS HAD HEARD ABOUT SAUL *
*AND HOW DANGEROUS HE HAD BEEN*
* TO THE PEOPLE OF /THE WAY/.*
* *
*ANANIAS RELENTS,*
*PRAYS OVER HIS FORMER ENEMY,*
*SAUL’S SIGHT IS RESTORED,*
*SAUL IS BAPTIZED…*
*BECOMES THE GREAT EVANGELIST PAUL,*
*THE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN,*
*AND THE REST,*
*AS THEY SAY IS HISTORY.*
* *
*BELOVED,*
*THIS IS OUR STORY, *
*WE ARE SAUL *
*ON OUR WAY TO PERSECUTE THE PEOPLE OF /THE WAY/,*
*EVEN JESUS HIMSELF.*
* *
*REMEMBER,*
*JESUS HAS TOLD US IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL *
*THAT WE ARE TO VIEW*
*THE HOMELESS, THE NAKED*
*THE HUNGRY, THE POWERLESS, AND THE PRISONER*
*AS IF THEY WERE JESUS HIMSELF.*
*WHO AMONG US HAS NOT WITTINGLY *
*OR UNWITTINGLY DONE OR NOT DONE*
*UNTO THE LESS OF THESE…*
*AND THEREBY PERSECUTED JESUS HIMSELF.*
*SHALL GOD HAVE TO STRIKE US BLIND, TOO*
*IN ORDER TO GET OUR ATTENTION.*
* *
*WE ARE ALSO ANANIAS IN THIS STORY.*
(TELL THE STORY OF THE TWO PRISONERS ON A KAIROS WEEKEND EXCHANGING COOKIES.)
WE ARE BEING CALLED BY GOD
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