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
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.06UNLIKELY
Joy
0.64LIKELY
Sadness
0.49UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.3UNLIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.47UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.75LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.57LIKELY
Extraversion
0.37UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.76LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.59LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
We had a good trip, but there's no place like home.
We're grateful for the time off to rest and relax, and we're ready to hit the ground running here.
So we're in part three of our four-part advent series called advent conspiracy.
So far, we've been through
Spend Less- not spending as much on useless gifts at Christmas time
Give more- Charlie preached about how Christ gave himself at Christmas time, and the application is that at Christmas, we should give like Christ gave- of ourselves and our time.
And today we're in...
Love All- to treat with compassion all who God loves and especially the poor.
Next week, we'll be in
Worship fully- to engage in Christmas like you never have before by getting past the junk and the busyness and worshipping Jesus for his many gifts to us during this season.
Read Luke 2:1-7
This Christmas story begins in humility.
It is a humble night, in an out of the way town.
A young family traveling at the beck and call of political decrees.
Immediately on the surface of the story it seems political power-plays will determine where Jesus will be born.
Caesar utters a royal edict for taxation purposes that pushes everyone back to their hometown.
So even though it’s probably not ideal to travel on a donkey when you're 9 months pregnant, Mary and Joseph set off on the trip home.
Seriously, you ladies, can you imagine your husband asking you to get on a horse when you were 9 months pregnant?
You'd be like, "you want me to what?
That ain't happening.
Uh-uh.
NO WAY!"
So Caesar is doing something.
But....God is doing something as well.
The City
The story immediately calls us to look deeper.
To not judge things based on outward appearance.
And isn't that like God? Remember the words God speaks to Samuel when he's looking to replace Saul, the impressive, handsome, strong, failure of a king of God's people?
So on the surface, it looks like politics is in control.
Yes, Jesus is born in Bethlehem because of this census but could it be that God is fulfilling his promises that out of this lowly city the King of Kings will come?'
Out of Bethlehem the King will come.
This one who is from ancient days, and he shall shepherd his flock, and he will be great to the ends of the earth.
What narrative are you listening to?
The headline of political policies, or the quiet ancient prophecy?
Don't judge by outward appearances just yet, Bethlehem is small and over-looked but she's important.
The new king is born this night, this king like David, in this little city.
The Inn
In the story we also learn that this King is born in unconventional circumstances.
He's born in an animal stall because there is no place for him.
In a hospitable Middle Eastern culture there is always room.
This "Inn" was most likely Joseph's family home.
The town is anywhere from 300 to 1000 people in size.
The census would gather the whole extended family into town and they would all stay at the family house.
This family is in the line of David, a respectable family.
The most likely interpretation of "there was no room" is that Joseph's family was ashamed of his then-pregnant fiancée.
Mary and Joseph weren't married yet and here she is about to give birth.
This would be shameful.
This is most likely why the king will be born in a manger.
Again, what headline are you going to pay attention to?
The knocked up fiancée?
Or the Virgin birth?
The story beckons us to look beyond the headlines and to find God working in the shadows, often going unnoticed, overlooked, and he's ok with it.
It’s how he likes to work.
And we see this all throughout the book of Esther.
Not once is God's name used, but his hand is all over the place in saving his people from destruction.
As we read on we see one more example of God working behind the scenes in this story: The shepherds.
Read Luke 2: 8-16
The Shepherds
During this time period, shepherds are some of the most lowly of characters; nobodies, often living on the margins of society.
But God loves shepherds, these caretakers, watching over helpless animals.
Every day, every night, tending, making sure the sheep are cared for.
It’s detailed work in that you have be attentive to the needs of the animals.
Funny, but God visited a shepherd in this same city once before.
Who else was a shepherd in Bethlehem?
A guy named David.
When Samuel the priest came to anoint this shepherd as King he almost missed him for his older better looking brother.
God had to tell Samuel directly:
Instead of the powerful-looking older brother, God directs his gaze to little David.
Out tending the sheep.
David the little shepherd.
Described as ruddy.
Cute.
And David will use his experience as a shepherd to not only defend Israel, but to care for it.
The humble beginnings as a shepherd prepare him for becoming Israel's greatest king.
God loves shepherds.
Out-of-the-way characters who care for others, who care for his creation.
Look back at this prophecy about Jesus in Micah from a different translation:
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from old, from ancient days...
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,.. " Micah 5:2
Born in Bethlehem, an out-of-the-way place, a humble place God calls the greatest king-- who will be what?
A shepherd.
And so it’s fitting, When God's son is born the only ones told are shepherds.
Not the rulers, not the politicians, not the financiers, not the CEO's.
Nope, the guys out working the field get the news.
The host of angels comes to them, this humble group of shepherds.
The most glorious of characters.
Heavenly beings, in radiant light sing Glory to God in the Highest!
Our king in the lowest, but look at such glory, a glory that comes in humility!
Yes, this is a humble moment in obscurity, in an out-of-the-way town, with out-of-the-way people
and yes this it is filled with the highest glory.
Application - [Love All] (connecting to Advent Conspiracy)
Don't judge Christmas by how it looks currently in our culture, not all is as it seems.
Christmas is a deeply subversive story about a young family navigating political policies, and family shame.
It’s about workers on the edge of society, in overlooked towns.
It also happens to be story of how the world was saved.
This Christmas the invitation is to scratch beneath the surface of the headlines, to pay attention to God's story and what he is doing.
To see glory in humility.
To see riches in poverty.
Honor in shame.
God loves to work in the margins with those who have been overlooked, underestimated, discounted, and ignored.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9