Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Review

Peter - from a blue collar fisherman, who leaves his middle class job to follow Jesus, a teacher who is ushering in the kingdom of God.

What a ride!

Witnessing miracles!

Amazing sermons.

Peter gets is right, gets it wrong, and falls flat on his face (denial).

And three days later he hears a sermon that totally blows his mind.

Sermon Introduction

One of the first things we pastors learn early in our ministry is that not everyone in the congregation leaves the sanctuary excited about your sermon.

Sometimes people have short attention spans, they’re tired, not really interested in the topic or even learning at all, but pastor’s have to own their part too - sometimes we preach really bad sermons.

Sometimes I wonder why I was invited to the ordination examination retreat in the Spring of 2007.

One of my pre-retreat assignments was to submit a video recorded sermon.

That Sunday a parishioner, as he was leaving, said to me, “Your sermon…it left me wanting more...” I felt bad that Sunday, but whenever I feel like my sermon is not well received, I can take comfort in the Easter story.

The very first Christian sermon did not register high marks.

We’ve already heard Luke’s story of the first Christian sermon, now hear John’s:

The first Christian sermon was not exactly a riveting success.

No altar call.

No “good sermon pastor.”

The sermon was ignored.

It was rejected.

It was ineffective.

It’s the kind of sermon we preachers say, “That didn’t go over too well.”

Sermons have changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: it is hard to preach resurrection in a world of skepticism.

I once read about a 14-year old girl who had an unusual medical condition: she was sweating blood from her scalp and her palms.

Hematidrosis is a rare disease -- but it’s one we in the church are familiar with, especially this time of year.

Before Jesus was arrested, during his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, we read that Jesus perspired drops of blood.

Science has explained what causes it: acute fear and excessive exertion.

I once read about a 14-year old girl who had an unusual medical condition: she was sweating blood from her scalp and her palms.

Hematidrosis is a rare disease -- but it’s one we in the church are familiar with, especially this time of year.

Before Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified, during his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, we read that Jesus perspired drops of blood.

Science has explained its most common causes: those being acute fear and excessive exertion.

The first story was about a 14-year old girl who had an unusual medical condition: she was sweating blood from her scalp and her palms.

Hematidrosis is a rare disease -- only 3 cases were reported in the 20th century -- but it’s one we in the church are familiar with, especially this time of year.

Before Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified, during his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, we read that Jesus perspired drops of blood.

As rare as this disease is, science has explained its most common causes: those being acute fear and excessive exertion.

I also read about a woman who claimed to experience stigmata - wounds or purple blotches that on the skin and match the wounds suffered by Jesus during his trial and crucifixion, on the hands, ankles, head and side.

They are said to appear on Christian mystics or other devout Christians, and are often seen as a sign from God. Skeptics would offer natural explanations, like self-wounding or unusual medical conditions.

These are not new phenomenon: sweating blood or marks of Christ’s wounds have been claimed and believed for centuries -- and the scientific age has finally provided us with rational explanations.

These are not new phenomenon: occurrences of sweating blood or showing marks of Christ’s wounds have been claimed for centuries -- and they’ve been believed for centuries, and the scientific age has finally provided us with rational explanations.

Christians can agree with the skeptics that there are scientific explanations or even fraudulent claims that explain stories like these.

But when it comes to the resurrection of Christ, we cannot.

As the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, if Christ is not raised from the dead, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.

As we see in the Easter story, Christ’s resurrection elicits a response - I see 3 different responses in the story:

3 Responses to the Resurrection:

1. Denial

2. Bewilderment

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3. Reassess Life

This morning, the women at the tomb, the first Christian preachers, have preached the first Christian sermon: He is risen!

The first Christian congregation has responded in different ways.

We’ve been presented this same message - how are we responding?

1. Denial

In Luke’s Gospel the sermon of the women came across to Peter and the disciples like "an idle tale," "empty talk," or "a silly story."

It depends on your English translation of the Bible.

Why did the disciples so easily dismiss the first news of Easter?

Some say because the messengers were women.

According to one oral tradition, "From women let not evidence be accepted because of the levity and temerity of their sex."

That may be part of the reason, but not all of it.

After all, Jesus had predicted that he would be killed but that on the third day he would rise.

When the women came with the news that these words had been fulfilled, the disciples should have been prepared, eager, receptive, believing.

Instead they yawned, checked their watches and wondered when the sermon would end.

in Luke’s Gospel the message of the women seemed to them like "an idle tale," "empty talk," or "a silly story."

why did the apostles so easily dismiss the first news of Easter?

There was a poll taken by the religious website beliefnet.com.

People were asked “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was physically raised from the dead?

65% said, “yes.”

Beliefnet.com

asked a related question, “Do you believe in miracles?”

and the overwhelming answer was “yes.”

That may be part of the reason, but not all of it.

After all, the women were confirming a message that Jesus himself had already told the disciples.

A few times Jesus predicted that he would be killed but that on the third day he would rise.

When the women came with the news that these words had been fulfilled, the disciples should have been prepared, eager, receptive, believing.

Instead they yawned, checked their watches and wondered when the sermon would end.

A poll by the website beliefnet.com

asked “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead?

The majority (65%) said, “Yes, bodily.”

A significant minority (22%) said, “Yes, spiritually.”

A small minority (13%) said, “No.”

There is something in our Gospel lesson that reminds me of this online poll: skepticism about resurrection.

Notice I didn’t say skepticism about the supernatural.

The denial we see in the Easter story is similar to the denial in the online poll: people who had no trouble believing in miracles couldn not accept that Christ had physically risen from the dead.

The denial we see in the Easter story is similar to the denial in the online poll: people who had no trouble believing in miracles couldn not accept that Christ had physically risen from the dead.

If you are trying to reach a resurrection-denier, no amount of arguing will win that person over.

One sermon will not change someone’s mind.

Take heart: the people who heard the 1st Christian sermon were resurrection deniers.

At the end of Matthew we read about the disciples meeting with Jesus and still some of them doubted.

and the therefore more likely to answer the question “Do you believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead?” with a “Yes, bodily.”

Belief

There is something in our Gospel lesson that reminds me of this online poll: skepticism about resurrection.

Notice I didn’t say skepticism about the supernatural.

Walk into a bookstore and you are surrounded by themes on spirituality.

According to the NEWSWEEK/Beliefnet Poll, eight in 10 Americans believe in miracles.

Resurrection is hard to believe.

True faith comes to us not by scientific data, but only by God’s revelation.

Could it be that such disbelief in Christ’s bodily resurrection is because modern science has shown that miracles don't happen, that dead people don't rise?

To believe in something so unscientific is offensive to one's intellect.

Bewilderment

A few months after my grandfather died, I took my grandmother to her Lutheran church to visit his grave.

We stood in front of the tombstone - it was one of those “made for two” stones - had his name and hers on there.