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
0.09UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.06UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.65LIKELY
Sadness
0.22UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.56LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.62LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.53LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.89LIKELY
Extraversion
0.24UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.67LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.75LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction
(Step to the pulpit, and then just look at your watch until 60 seconds have passed).
Exactly one minute has passed.
Isn't that amazing?
My watch tracks time.
It has a second hand that moves every second.
Sixty seconds moves the big hand one step forward to mark the passing of a minute.
Isn't it absolutely amazing how long one minute of silence seems, but how short one minute seems when you are doing something you enjoy?
Did you know that there are only 29 days until Christmas?
That means
there are approximately 693 hours until we celebrate the birth of Christ.
That translates into approximately 41580 minutes left to get done all the things we need to do before Christmas arrives.
There are presents to purchase and wrap, parties to attend, people to visit, and we only have 51,580 minutes left.
So, why did you just waste one precious moment sitting there doing nothing?
As we begin our Advent celebration, I want us to recognize not only the significance of one moment in time but also of the strategic nature of those moments.
We would refer to the strategic nature of time as timing.
Have you ever stopped to consider how important timing is to everything that exists?
Do you plant tomato plants in November?
Do you paint the outside of your house in January?
Do you go swimming in the pond during February?
No?
Why not?
It's not the right time!
There is a right time for such activities.
I think we would all agree that December is not the best time to try starting a diet, right?
Think about the importance of timing in sports.
If the timing is off, the quarterback won't connect with his receiver for a completion.
It doesn't take a minute to throw off the timing in football.
If the timing is off the basketball player will arrive at the spot before the ball or after the ball is already passed.
Think about the importance of timing for our daily lives.
If you have ever missed a flight because you arrived one minute after boarding you know the importance of timing.
You are delayed at work, but because of the delay you missed a major accident on the interstate.
If you are the parent of a preschooler, you know that if you turn your head for one minute, that preschooler can be long gone and into trouble.
Does one minute make a difference?
Just ask those who made it out of the Twin Towers minutes before they collapsed.
One moment, one sixty-second interval of time, placed in just the right location can make all the difference in the world.
Our theme this year for Advent is Experience the Miracle of Christmas.
It is so easy to get all wrapped up (no pun intended) in the activity of the season that we miss the miracle of Christmas.
This Christmas season, let's spend some moments reflecting on the significance of Christ's birth.
is an incredible verse.
It says, "When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (HCSB) Did you hear that?
God's Word says, "When the time came . . .
" At just the right time God sent His Son.
That represents the miracle of the moment.
I.
He came at the right moment
One of my favorite Christmas movies is "Miracle on 34th Street."
It is a wonderful, magical tale about an old man named Kris Kringle who believes he is Santa Claus and wants others to believe in him as well.
We are going to use that movie as the backdrop to our sermon series this year.
There are some important parallels from the movie to the Christmas story that I don't want you to miss.
I want you to watch a clip from the movie where Kris is trying to instruct a department store Santa prior to the big Thanksgiving Day parade.
(Show video clip of Kris demonstrating the whip and then being asked to be the department store Santa).
You were probably so engrossed in the developing story that you may have missed the miracle that took place in the video clip.
If you did, don't feel bad, the characters in the movie didn't recognize it either.
Was it just by chance or coincidence that Kris Kringle was there at the parade that day?
No! That represents the miracle of the moment.
At just the right time, Kris Kringle showed up at the parade and rescued not only the parade, but the jobs of Ms. Walker and countless others.
Ms. Walker failed to recognize the miracle of the moment.
She failed to realize the significance of hiring Kris Kringle to be the store Santa at the time.
The Bible says, "When the time came to completion, God sent His Son . . .
"
But the reality is, most people missed the miracle of the moment.
Most people did not recognize the significance of Christ's birth at the time.
People were much to busy to pay any attention to the young girl giving birth to her first child out in a stable there in Bethlehem.
At just the right time in history Jesus was born.
The coming of Christ into the world was not a matter of chance or coincidence.
His coming was part of God's divine plan established before the foundation of the world.
"Historians tell us that the Roman world was in great expectation, waiting for a deliverer, at the time Jesus was born.
The old religions were dying.
The old philosophies were empty and powerless to change men's lives.
Strange new mystery religions were invading the empire.
Religious bankruptcy and spiritual hunger were everywhere.
God was preparing the world for the arrival of His Son." (Warren Wiersbe, Be Free, p. 90)
From an historical perspective, the Roman Empire had helped prepare the world for the birth of Jesus.
The Romans had constructed roads that connected city to city, making travel easier.
All roads ultimately led to Rome.
The world was at peace under Roman rule.
Roman laws protected the citizens and Roman soldiers guarded the peace.
Thanks to both the Greek and Roman conquests,
Latin and Greek were known across the empire making communication possible with many from all over the world.
The Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah were completed.
At just the right time God sent His Son!
II.
He provides at the right moment
Many people will be content to go through the motions.
They will endure the busy activity of the season without ever experiencing the miracle of Christmas.
But some this holiday season need nothing short of a miracle.
The good news is that God comes to us at just the right time with just what we need for the moment.
Listen to these promises from God's Word to see His character reflected in these actions.
says, "All eyes look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time."
says, "All of them wait for You to give them their food at the right time."
"I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and oil."
God knows exactly what you are going through
.
He knows exactly what you need.
At just the right time He will come to you and provide what you need for the moment.
His timing is always perfect.
God not only came at just the right time, He continues to come to us at just the right time.
Just when we need Him most, He is there.
says, "For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly."
When do you need a miracle?
When you have no more options and no more resources, you are in a position to receive a miracle from God.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9