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
0.09UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.66LIKELY
Sadness
0.22UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.47UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.39UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.91LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.66LIKELY
Extraversion
0.3UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.86LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.61LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Rumours about the song they tried to ban
Did you know that the governments of at least three countries have tried to ban Mary’s song?
I have read that in several academic books, but sadly I haven’t actually been able to back it up.
I think it might be one of those myths like the time Birmingham city council tried to ban Christmas, when actually all they were trying to do was make more money by extending the market season.
But there’s a reason that the myth about Mary’s song persists - and it’s because it’s believable.
After all, this is uncomfortable stuff for the powerful.
At the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the abbey was filled with the great and powerful from across the world.
There was jostling for position, and a refusal by some world leaders to get on the bus with everyone else.
Prime Ministers past and present were gathered, and all manner of Royals.
Justin Welby preached a great sermon.
He talked of the Queen’s faith in Jesus Christ, and he said these words:
But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten.
I wonder if anyone listening felt a bit of a dig there.
I had my own stint in politics, and though I don’t think I went into it looking for power or privilege, it was amazing to me how quickly power, once gained, becomes the master.
I was put into positions I didn’t seek, then became desperate to keep them.
I had to daily examine myself.
It was easier not to seek power when I had none.
When the powerful are confronted with the Gospel, it’s uncomfortable.
But before we look at Mary’s radical song, whether or not it was banned, let’s look at the occasion.
Mary has had an angelic visit, and has been told that something unprecedented will happen to her.
She will conceive a child by the Holy Spirit.
And the angel had said these words to her:
And almost as an afterthought, the angel Gabriel tells her:
So, Mary got ready and hurried to an unnamed town.
It either doesn’t matter where it was, or it was just incredibly unimportant.
Most of my life, when I met people and they asked where I was from, I’d say London.
Sometimes they’d ask for more detail, and I’d say ‘Poplar’ and they would kind of glaze over.
But after Call the Midwife came out, there was a bit more recognition.
Mary’s family are not important people.
They’re not the Kensington type.
They’re Poplar before Call the Midwife.
So Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, and immediately Elizabeth’s baby leaps for joy and Elizabeth herself is filled with the Holy Spirit.
We’ve been looking at, and in the new year we’ll be looking more at the gifts of the Spirit.
I think what we see in Elizabeth here is that being filled with the Holy Spirit gives her knowledge and insight about physical and spiritual matters.
She proclaims that Mary is going to have a child, and she calls that child ‘my Lord’ in verse 43.
In Luke’s Gospel, Elizabeth is the first person to call Jesus Lord, which in context is a divine title.
Elizabeth isn’t the only person filled with the Spirit.
These opening chapters of Luke are full of the Holy Spirit and prophecy.
The baby in Elizabeth’s womb, who will be called John, leaps at the sound of Mary’s voice.
And again, Elizabeth has insight into what is going on - she interprets the baby’s movement - “the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (v.
44).
Many readers have interpreted this as prophetic on baby John’s part.
And then Elizabeth says what I think is the centre of my message this morning:
This passage today echoes with two words - blessing, and generations.
We find blessing in verse 42 where Elizabeth says Mary and her baby are blessed, and in verse 45 where she who has trusted in the Lord is blessed.
Then in Mary’s own song she says in verse 48:
And we see so many references to the generations.
From the baby leaping in Elizabeth’s womb to the child Mary will bear.
Again, Mary refers to the generations as she says:
And the mercy of God is passed down:
For Mary, what is happening to her is linked right back through the ages, as she says:
The connection between the generations is the mercy of God - promised to Abraham, enacted through the times of Moses and the judges and the Kings and even the exile and the return.
Mary is anchoring the birth of Jesus in the story of Israel’s God - the One who made promises to the ancestors and has kept those promises.
So let’s look at Mary’s song.
Why is it so believable that authoritarian governments might want to ban it?
Well I want to be clear that this isn’t a political song.
It is a song that should make politicians tremble, but it begins and ends with God glorified.
In fact, the revolutionary parts of it are firmly anchored in the character and nature of God.
Mary’s song is first and foremost a hymn about who God is.
What is God like?
Who is He?
Have passage on screen at this point
He is the Mighty One in being and in deed (vv49, 51)
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9