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
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
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For a while, no one noticed Mary's pregnancy.
But no one can hide things from a mom for long.
Finally, Mom noticed & told Dad.
He called for a meeting with Joseph & his parents.
When they all gathered, Dad gave Joseph a hard look.
"Mary's pregnant."
Joseph's parents gasped.
But Joseph was adamant.
"It wasn't my fault!"
All eyes swiveled to Mary.
She spoke calmly.
"It isn't mine, either."
Humanly, one of them had to be lying.
But truth is often stranger than any lie.
Let's turn to the true story in Lk 1:26-35, 38.
It was 26athe 6th month after Gabriel announced Elizabeth's pregnancy.
For her, it was an impossible pregnancy.
She's over 60, well after childbearing years.
She's another Sarah.
In her 6th month, 26bGod sent the angel Gabriel.
This time, 26cto Nazareth.
It was a shoddy, tiny town.
It had water, but it was in a basin surrounded by hills.
No road led to it, so no one went there.
No one ever wrote about it.
Not the OT.
Not Josephus.
Not even the Talmud or Mishnah.
Nothing good happened there.
Nothing was expected to.
Its reputation?
Bad.
In Jn 1:46, Philip told Nathanael about Jesus of Nazareth.
Nathanael replied, "Nazareth!
Can anything good come from there?" It's so small, so no-account, Luke even has to tell his readers where it is!
It's a 1-camel town in Galilee.
And "town" is generous.
Only a few families live there.
Mostly farmers.
All, dirt poor.
It's a no-account town with no-account people.
And Galilee?
Set in a Gentile area, Jews in Judah & Jerusalem also think it's no-account.
To top it off, people there talk funny.
To that Nazareth, Gabriel went.
Before, he went to a woman over 60.
This time, it's 27aa young virgin.
At least 12yo, 14 max.
By custom she's already 27bpledged (betrothed) to be married to a poor carpenter named Joseph.
He mostly makes yokes wooden farm tools (yokes, plows, etc.).
He's also 27c a descendant of David.
Living in Nazareth, no one cares if he's in David's line.
And 27dthe virgin?
Mary.
A poor peasant girl.
Living at home with her parents.
Betrothed to a local carpenter.
Looking forward to marriage at the end of her betrothal year.
She's illiterate.
What does she know of Scripture?
Just what she's heard in synagogue & memorized at home.
Her life trajectory?
The opposite of extraordinary.
Marry poor.
Give birth to a lot of poor children.
Never travel.
Live & die a few miles from Nazareth.
Her life's end?
Die like so many before her: a nobody, in a no-account town, in the middle of nowhere.
28aThat's the virgin Mary Gabriel went to.
Not a word about her virtue.
Nothing about how religious she was.
Not a word to explain why God chose her.
She's ordinary.
Not exceptional.
Just ordinary.
The issue isn't her beauty (inner or outer), or her worthiness.
She just has God's favor.
Gabriel's message reflects God's favor.
28b"Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The Lord is with you."
Wow, that's positive!
Or is it?
29aHis words greatly trouble Mary.
Interesting.
Zechariah & Daniel see Gabriel & are terrified.
But Mary?
No fear.
What does trouble her?29bShe wonders, 'What kind of greeting is this?'
She may be poor, but she has God's favor!
After 400 years of God's silence, He doesn't just speak.
He's with her! What's that about?
30aGabriel reassures her.
"Don't be afraid, Mary.
Uh-oh!
We know better.
Whenever anyone says, "Don't..."? Be afraid.
30bYou've found favor with God.
Great.
What's the bad news?
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