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
0.07UNLIKELY
Fear
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.62LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.22UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.68LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.86LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.43UNLIKELY
Extraversion
0.15UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.5LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.59LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
My Dad - the Sorcerer
This is my father, the sorcerer.
Since he was 10 years old, my dad has been practicing magic.
If you have seen him in action… he is really, really good.
People always ask me if I know how he did it, and I always smile mysteriously and kind of mumble like “I just can’t say.”
But sometimes, internally, I am like “what the garbage???!” I have no idea how he did that!
I always thought he should combine the magic act with his day job, a medical physicist focused on cancer treatment.
Kazaam… your cancer is gone!
People tend to lose patience when your “Kazaam” is a multiple month process of varied and repeated treatments… but there’s something there.
Sorcery - illusions.
He is doing things you may not understand… but it is tricky.
For the record: my Dad does not have mysterious magic powers.
He has practice and misdirection, skills and speed won through lots and lots of practice.
He isn’t really a sorcerer, he is a really good liar.
Now, my Dad the sorcerer has now performed at camp twice.
He performed two years ago at our “Signs” camp for the teenagers and this year at Junior camp.
He amazed the children with his magic.
So, today, I would like to pay my Father for all services rendered.
Just take a picture of that with your camera phone app.
It’s “definitely real”.
But the truth is, the camp can’t afford to pay my Dad’s “magic appearance” rate… it’s actually higher then his “medical physicist cure your cancer” rate.
The amount is an insult.
And the attempt to pay changes the character of the encounter.
It transforms a “gift because He loves” into a “business transaction” (and an offensive one at that).
It’s time to talk about money.
And sorcery.
And Jesus.
Recap
Simon the Sorcerer
What kind of sorcerer was he?
practice magic, sorcery.
This is where our word “magic” or “Magus” actually comes from.
It is borrowed from Persian, a member of the priestly “Median” tribe.
Was he an illusionist?
A conman a trickster?
Justin Martyr, himself a Samaritan, writes 100 years later that Simon was empowered by demons to perform magic and later honoured in Rome as a God.
Trickster or demonic, this was a man of great influence.
The people were “amazed” (a word which will come up again and again.
This was a man of widespread power and influence.
… and then Philip comes to town.
Sea change.
We might expect a confrontation between Philip and Simon in the same way we see a power struggle between the apostles and the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
Instead, Simon surprises us:
The people “believed” or “had faith”.
Simon had faith.
He believed.
There is no shade of difference between the two here, the same faith, same word, same tone.
And Simon was baptized… and then glued himself to Philip.
He’s the guy at every service, hearing every sermon, watching carefully all the signs and miracles… and now it is Simon who is “amazed”.
Astounded!
Astonished!
Are these believers in Samaria?
I would have to say so.
Believers in Christ, baptized in his name, by a deacon no less.
Next Step Christianity
Fascinating thing.
Are there two baptisms now?
My expectation is that this is, similar to Pentecost, a special initial impartation of the Holy Spirit, and subsequent believers receive the Holy Spirit immediately.
But some smart people see here two baptisms, one in the name of Christ, one additional baptism in the Spirit, and some charismatic movements are built around this principle.
It specifies “baptism in the name of Jesus” as the reason, like maybe Philip missed a step.
Just in case, I always baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which is the command given by Jesus.
So the apostles rectify this.
This receiving sounds “visible”, witness-able.
Something happened, something changed.
Maybe that’s how he acquired his other powers.
Maybe that’s just how he thinks the world works.
It likely works that way in every other aspect and dimension of his life.
It doesn’t say he is being arrogant.
It doesn’t say he is being rude.
He could have the best intentions in the world for what he will do with the power.
Maybe it doesn’t seem all that wrong.
It’s an upgrade.
It’s the “Next Step” in the Christian journey.
And “they”, the other Christians, are getting it.
But at the end of the day… Simon attempt to acquire the Holy Spirit.
“Acquire”.
That’s an important word.
He attempts to purchase the Spirit of God.
And what does He want to do with it?
Heal people?
Cast out demons?
What is the specific Holy Spirit power Simon wants?
“to lay hands on others to pass on the Holy Spirit.”
He wants to be the guy that other people receive the Spirit from.
Perhaps he sees this power as a way of regaining his hold over the Samaritans, gaining a “Share” in the leadership.
But whatever his reasoning, Simon tries to buy God.
The power of God, the person of God, the gifts of God.
Rebuke.
Harsh!
This is phrased like a curse: may your silver perish...
Your “heart is not right” (or straight or honest) with God.
You aren’t aligned at all.
“In the gall of bitterness”.
Gall is a bitter fluid secreted by the liver.
There is a bitter poison in you.
It’s gross!
You taste like bile, I just threw up in my mouth!
The harshness of this language.
But it is an emotional reaction to how GROSS what Simon just said.
“in the bond of iniquity”.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9