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.
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Analytical
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Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Tone of specific sentences
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Epiphany: The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as seen in the coming of the Magi
*** Image: Camels and Magi.
“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Is 60.3).
“They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” (Is 60.6)
Matthew 2:1 (NRSV)
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem...
Map: Possible routes of the Magi
The Magi look up
*** N/S:The Magi look up for a message from God
*** Night sky
*** Psalm 19.1-4
No slides
*** N/S there’s something about the heavens, looking up at the sky on a cloudy day as the clouds roll by, looking up at a seemingly endless expanse on a cloudless day, looking up at the Milky Way, at Orion and the Pleiades
*** N/S: We ought to be able to look around us and see the greatness of God, the glory of God, the power and strength of God, and instead we’re looking down and not up.
We ‘re looking at the ground and not the sky, Twitter and not the horizon, we’ve walled ourselves off in our homes so that we don’t see the beauty and stunning surprises of nature that speak to God’s greatness
I can see how it might be possible to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how one could look into the heavens and say there is no God.
Abraham Lincoln
Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF is in the night sky, at the beginning of next month
*** N/S: The Magi look up, discern a message from God, and stake their lives on the message
The scholars look in scripture
*** Photo: Glasses, scriptures
*** N/S I find it interesting how the chief priests and the scribes find the information quickly but don’t do anything about it.
They don’t take the moment seriously enough to make the very short journey of about 7 miles.
They know the answer but they can’t be bothered by letting that answer disturb their day
*** Photo: Bible.
The chief priests and the scribes know where to find the information, they just don’t want to do anything about it.
*** Photo: Old Bible
Engineer joke:
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost.
He reduces his height and spots a woman down below.
Lowering the balloon further he shouts, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"
"Yes, you're in a hot air balloon, hovering 50 feet above this field" says the woman.
"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.
"I am," replies the woman.
"How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but it's of no use to anyone."
"You must be in management," says the woman.
"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," she says, "you don't know where you are, or where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help.
You're in the same position you were before we met, but somehow now it's my fault."
The scholars search and see, but they don’t do anything about it.
They answer Herod’s question, let the Magi know, and then they go on about their day without even a modest curiosity about the reason for the question they’ve just answered.
Herod looks out for himself
Photo: Herod.
Herod cared nothing for the truth.
Murdered wife and children, the murder of the innocents.
Looks out only for himself
*** N/S: What are you protecting in yourself?
I’ll give myself fully to the Lord, all except...
*** Epiphany
The Magi looked up at the sky
The scholars looked into the scriptures
Herod looked out for himself
Where are you
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