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
0.14UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.15UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.57LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.71LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.86LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.8LIKELY
Extraversion
0.14UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.88LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.72LIKELY

Tone of specific sentences

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Luke 2:25-35
 
! Introduction
            A week ago when the Sunday School presented the Christmas program, I really appreciated what they did.
It is always wonderful to hear children tell the story.
The Bible talks about the way in which children can so effectively communicate gospel truths and that happened in the presentation last week.
One of the plays was about a birthday party and this play was a good reminder that even though it is not wrong to engage in all kinds of fun celebrations, we must never lose sight of the fact that this is a birthday party for Jesus.
If we desire to honor him, we cannot pass the day without focusing our celebration in His direction.
That is why I am glad we are here today.
I enjoy all the things we do, the gift giving, the family gatherings, but because Jesus is the central figure in this celebration, the meetings at church are also precious to me.
I like to come to church on Christmas morning to hear the story of Jesus once again, be reminded about why we celebrate and give glory to God for all he has done by sending Jesus to this earth.
We have been doing just that this morning and I appreciate your leadership in reminding us of Jesus coming through story and song.
The story of Jesus’ birth is an amazing story.
It is obviously a supernatural event.
From the prophetic revelations to the angel messengers, we can see God’s hand guiding what happened.
In the story, we learn something about the baby who came.
We are told that he is Christ the Lord and that He is the world’s Saviour.
Amazement is present everywhere - the surprise of the angels praising God in the presence of the shepherds, the amazement of all those who heard it, Mary treasuring these things up in her heart and the shepherds glorifying and praising God.
All of these unusual occurrences accompanying the birth of this child naturally cause us to raise the question, “who is this child?”
He must be someone special in order for such amazing happenings to accompany his birth.
Today, we want to go a bit further in the story to a part we do not always examine.
A significant event takes place when Jesus was 8 days old, which reveals more of this wonder and amazement and tells us more about who this child is.
Today, we want to look at the fourth song of Christmas, which is Simeon’s song.
When a child is born, there are certain things that have to be done.
You have to choose a name, you have to register the birth with vital statistics and so on.
For Jewish people, there were also several things that had to be done.
They had to name the child, if it was a male child, he had to be circumcised, He had to be redeemed if he was a firstborn child, because all the firstborn sons belonged to God (Numbers 18:15,16) and there was also a ritual for the mothers purification following childbirth.
It was on one of these birth related occasions, probably the presentation of the firstborn to the Lord, that Mary and Joseph found themselves in the temple in Jerusalem.
While they were there, they had what must have seemed, at the time, like an unusual encounter.
An old man came up to them, asked to hold the child and pronounced a blessing on the child.
That in itself was not unusual, but what he said was.
The old man’s name was Simeon and he had received a promise that he would not die until he saw the Messiah of God.
The Spirit of God revealed to him that Jesus was that Messiah and in the words he speaks, this fourth song of Christmas, Simeon says some things that help us to further identify who this child was whose birth was accompanied by such unusual occurrences.
When we examine Simeon’s words, we learn three important things about the child whose birth we celebrate today.
! I. God’s Salvation Brought To Earth
            As Simeon looked on the little child he held in his arms, he perceived some significant things about who he was.
First of all, he said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people.”
!! A. Salvation
            What he was saying is that Jesus is the answer of God to save the people of the world.
The idea of salvation assumes desperate need.
The other day, Carla and I went snow shoeing along the banks of the river.
At one point, we crossed the river, and we weren’t sure that the ice was thick enough and so we were cautious.
If one of us would have fallen through, we would have been in a situation in which we could not have helped ourselves.
We would have needed someone to save us.
That is the meaning of salvation - being in a desperate situation in which outside help is needed to prevent certain disaster.
Our appreciation of the salvation God brought through Jesus depends on our understanding of our need.
Israel as a nation knew it needed salvation.
They had not been an independent nation for about 600 years.
For 70 of those years, they had not even been in their own land.
As a nation, they were desperately looking for someone to save them from their oppressors.
As Simeon looked at the child, he saw in him the fulfillment of promises which would have significance for Israel as a nation.
As Jesus lived on earth, we meet others who needed his help and reached out to Him.
We learn that he was often sought out by sick people who were desperate for healing.
The woman who haemorrhaged, and who touched his robe hoping to be healed knew that she needed help from someone with power to heal.
She had exhausted all other possibilities of help.
He spent a lot of time with tax collectors and sinners who were attracted to him and his message because they realized their need for forgiveness and freedom from the things that held them in bondage.
I read a story about a unique character who was converted in the Water Street Mission in New York.
He was known as “the Old Colonel” and through drink he had sunk very low.
At one time, he had been a college graduate and a brilliant law student.
At the time of his conversion he was sixty years old but looked as if he were one hundred.
He looked more like an animal than a human being.
He was clothed in rags.
The overcoat he wore was fastened with a nail.
On the night of his conversion, he cried, “O Lord, if it is not too late, forgive and save this poor old sinner!”
Although it had taken a long time, he finally realized that he needed a Savior.
The message that the child is Savior is good news when we understand that we are in a desperate situation.
If we think that we are OK by ourselves and have no need of any help, this won’t mean much to us, but if we realize that we are dead in our transgressions and sins, then recognizing that the child is our salvation is good news indeed.
As we think about this child on this day, do we appreciate how wonderful it is that we have a Savior?
!! B. In The Sight Of All
            But this phrase has another aspect to it.
Simeon says, “…your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people.”
The wonder of the coming of Jesus into this world is that God did not administer a solution to the problems of the world by sitting in heaven and zapping a solution from a distance.
Salvation was accomplished by incarnation.
He came among us, to understand us and to bring us hope from the position of being here.
When Simeon said “in the sight of all people” this is the wonderful thing he recognized.
What does it mean that God came among us?
A father had told his son he would send him to sleep in the attic, with only bread and water for his supper, if he broke the laws of the home once more.
The child disobeyed again and was send to the attic: The father could not eat.
He had the boy on his mind and his heart.
His wife said: “I know what you are thinking.
But you must not bring the boy from the attic.
It would cause him to disobey again.
He would have no respect for your word.
You must not cheapen your relation as his father by failing to keep your promise.”
To which her husband replied: “You are right.
I will not break my word.
To do so would cause my son to lose his respect for my word.
But he is so lonely up there.”
He kissed his wife good-night, entered the attic, ate bread and water with the boy, and when the child went to sleep on the hard boards, his father’s arm was his pillow.”
That is incarnation and that is what our Savior did.
God identified with our struggles and our need.
That is good news.
Whenever I am discouraged and wonder if God really is there, the one thought that always provides strength for me is that God cared enough about me that He came to earth and saved me.
I think about the incarnation and the death and resurrection of Jesus and I know that a God who would leave heaven to redeem me cares for me now as well.
As Simeon saw the child, he understood these things and gave thanks to God.
Are we giving thanks to God today for Jesus, our Savior who has been on earth?
! II.
A Light For All Nations
            Another thing that Simeon said as he looked at the little child was, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
I want to look at these two statements in reverse order.
!! A. Glory for Israel
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9