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
0.08UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.07UNLIKELY
Joy
0.68LIKELY
Sadness
0.5LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.51LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.25UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.85LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.85LIKELY
Extraversion
0.2UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.85LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.69LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Introduction
This morning we are continuing in our series of the 4 evangelists and there view of the Christmas Story.
We have looked at Matthew, Mark and this morning we will take a look at the Doctor’s view of the story.
As I said at the beginning of the series, Luke is all about Details, Details, Details.
I had to laugh, this week, I noticed that the Children’s lesson this week is on the topic of Christ’s Birth,
I walked over to Josh’s office and asked, “Why are you teaching this story this week, and not closer to Christmas.
Then I realized that we, during our church, will be discussing the same topic as the children.
God has such a sense of humor as we try to be smart in our planning, but He has a greater plan and works our all things in spite of our best plans.
So as we look at today’s scripture, let that thought hang on in your mind.
What have you planned for your life, and how has God worked out His plan in your life.
Who was Luke
To start off, like the other two Evangelist, we begin by looking at this person called Luke.
If you read the same version as me, you may have seen this in your reading of today’s verses.
Luke documents Christ’s life from before his birth through his ministry, death, and resurrection.
Jesus carried out his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, announcing the good news of salvation.
He showed numerous times his compassion for the poor and the outcast.
He fulfilled prophecy and carried out his purpose: to seek and save the lost.
Luke gives the fullest account of Christ’s birth, and only Luke records the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
Luke, a physician and a colleague of Paul, probably wrote this account in the early 60s A.D. He also wrote Acts.
This author’s state,
Luke gives the fullest account of the birth of Christ.
A reminder that all the four gospels together give the entire picture of Christ’s work from Creation to Cradle To the Cross and now in the Celestial World.
This morning as we look through the summary of the book we will look at the various characters in the story.
It is what has been played over the years to tell the story.
so let’s look at the story
Turn with me to the first chapter of the book of Luke and we are going to jump to the 5th verse
When we go to Luke to hear the Christmas Story, we often begin in Chapter two.
Why
Because that is the details of the story of His birth,
But to understand the complete story of Christ’s Birth we must begin with Chapter One.
One person wrote,
Luke’s story proper is prepared for by an “infancy gospel” which recounts in parallel the origins of John and Jesus, and establishes between them the relationship of transcending parallelism that is to prevail in later life
Luke’s Parallelisms between Jesus and John
Before we go deep into the story outlined in this gospel, I want to draw you back to some parallels in the story that Luke draws out in Chapter One Parallels that give us that
Ah Moments as we read through Scripture.
Because there are many in this book.
The First Parallel is the two stories of the early life of Jesus and John the Baptist.
Each have the same pattern in their story.
The Announcement
Both begin with an announcement of the coming child to their parents.
The doctor didn’t confirm they were pregnant.
She didn’t take an early pregnancy test.
The news came before conception.
News brought to them from an angel.
To John’s father, Zacharias, he was told that Parenthood was just around the corner.
News that was treated with doubt and consequence.
To Jesus’ earthly mother, that angel brought the same news of the expected child.
News that was treated with questions and submission.
Both of the announcement had a miraculous twist to the news.
To the first announcement, it seemed impossible not because she was old, rather advanced in years.
Folks, when you are gathering this Christmas with Family and that feeling of saying, “no, I’m too old to do that”, change your vocabulary to say.
I’m advanced in years.
It sounds so much better.
To the second announcement, it seemed impossible because biologically it wasn’t possible.
When Luke, remember he was a doctor, brings the parallel stories together he shows his readers,
that the God we serve has power over the creation He created and can work outside the natural norms of His creations.
He can and brought life through a miraculous events.
The Mothers
The second parallel in the story of the children is their connection with the two mothers.
Cousins, years apart by age, but drawn together unknown to them, that God was working in their lives and will be for a long time.
Mothers that would future weep for their sons as they carry out their God Calling on their lives, but in the beginning there was a celebration and praise for allowing God to work through their lives.
It is a reminder for all of us to know that God has called each one of us, to be an agent of God’s Gospel to the people we come in contact with.
To celebrate God working in our lives.
Birth, Names, and Wonders
The next parallels that Luke points out are the births, Naming of the child, and the wonders that each birth brought forth.
Of course there is more information and wonder of Jesus’ birth, but let’s not forget the wonder John’s birth brought to the people.
a wonder and amazement
The Blessings
Luke then shows the parallel between the two in their presentation of blessing.
One from the father one from a onlooker but both of these blessings were done around the context of the temple.
An act of their faith bringing their child to the temple to honor God.
The Act of Dedicating your child.
That is one of the greatest joys I have as a pastor is to be a part of a families life as they bring their child to the Body, the church for Child dedication no matter what age the child is.
So Luke begins his Gospel with the coming news of the babies and unlike Mark that we looked at last week, he doesn’t get to the story of his ministry until the end of the third and beginning of the forth chapter.
The Christmas Story in Detail
Luke moves us along in his Narrative and in Chapter two, we see and hear what we have all come to be known as the Christmas Story.
Let’s walk through the story and highlight the people, those Luke shows are important to the story.
Non- Believers
The first people mentioned in the developing of God’s Story is the involvement of non-believers.
It always amazes me when I see that God’s plan is not affected by those who don’t follow Him and that they are even used by God to carry out his plan.
The Roman government in all their earthly power were a part of the greatest story and were needed to carry out their power so that God’s power could be shown.
The family needed to be in Bethlehem, to fulfill the prophecy, for the delivery of Jesus and God used the local government to make sure this happened.
We serve a God that will carry out His plan and nothing can stand against it.
The next part of the story are the parents.
Luke 2:4-7
The Parents
Notice how you need all four Gospels to understand the full picture of the Christmas Story.
Luke’s lineage lineup is a small comparison to that found in Matthew.
Luke summarizes that he was from David’s line while Matthew went into detail.
Luke seems to gloss over the scandal that was in the story of the pregnancy by simple stating,
His betrothed, Who was with child.
No time for questions.....rumours, or explanations.
then moves on to the delivery of the child, It happened and he was swaddled in cloth, placed in a manger,
because they were not in the hospital
sorry Inn.
There were a few details missing in this story
and some of these details are of a great significance that you may quickly over look as you read through this story.
First off, I’m not sure about you, but I’m glad our firstborn was born in a place surrounded by people who knew what to do and to help.
Who cares about the no room in the inn, Joseph, a new dad to be had to help his young and expecting wife to deliver this newborn miracle of life all by themselves.
There were no doctors, midwives, mothers or aunts around to help it was just them.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9