Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

There is a place on this earth... there are a few places actually... where heaven and earth meet.

The places are mysterious.

They are uniquely glorious and so utterly incomprehensible that one loses touch with reality and assumes they have entered a dream state.

A few places where the dirt beneath your feet and the air in your lungs seems... other worldly.

Places that make you think of earth like a dream... or a dream within a dream... a dream that you struggle to recall and you just can't place it A few places that make you question the reality you once knew because here in this seemingly impossible world everything is new and pure and so... real.

Places where the veil between heaven and earth is so thin that you could almost... almost reach out and touch the arm of God.

Places where if you strain your senses enough and listen very very closely... you can barely... just barely... make it out.

Shh... do you hear it?

Shh.... "Holy, Holy, Holy...." There are places on this rock.. where heaven and earth are not so far apart.

There is a place on this earth... there are a few places actually... where heaven and earth meet.

The places are mysterious.

They are uniquely glorious and so utterly incomprehensible that one loses touch with reality and assumes they have entered a dream state.

A few places where the dirt beneath your feet and the air in your lungs seems... other worldly.

Places that make you think of earth like a dream... or a dream within a dream... a dream that you struggle to recall and you just can't place it A few places that make you question the reality you once knew because here in this seemingly impossible world everything is new and pure and so... real.

Places where the veil between heaven and earth is so thin that you could almost... almost reach out and touch the arm of God.

Places where if you strain your senses enough and listen very very closely... you can barely... just barely... make it out.

Shh... do you hear it?

Shh.... "Holy, Holy, Holy...." There are places on this rock.. where heaven and earth are not so far apart.

There is a place on this earth... there are a few places actually... where heaven and earth meet.

The places are mysterious.

They are uniquely glorious and so utterly incomprehensible that one loses touch with reality and assumes they have entered a dream state.

A few places where the dirt beneath your feet and the air in your lungs seems... other worldly.

Places that make you think of earth like a dream... or a dream within a dream... a dream that you struggle to recall and you just can't place it A few places that make you question the reality you once knew because here in this seemingly impossible world everything is new and pure and so... real.

Places where the veil between heaven and earth is so thin that you could almost... almost reach out and touch the arm of God.

Places where if you strain your senses enough and listen very very closely... you can barely... just barely... make it out.

Shh... do you hear it?

Shh.... "Holy, Holy, Holy...." There are places on this rock.. where heaven and earth are not so far apart.

Do you know some of these places?

Hmm? Summer 2013, I was in a meadow in Northern New Mexico.

Literally 100 miles from the nearest car, outlet, or cell phone.

It was 3am.

The dead of night.

I stepped out of my tent into the brightness of the starlight and moonlight... walked barefoot 100 yards because the grass was that soft and stood in an ankle deep brook.

And I swear that if I could've just reached a little higher, I could've held the stars between my thumb and forefinger, lowered one to my ear and heard... barely... just barely... Holy, Holy, Holy...

I swear if I could've just held the haze of the meadow in my hand...

I could've pulled it back like a curtain a gotten a glimpse of the night camps of the armies of the Lord of Hosts.

Some sleeping peacefully.

Some standing guard.

All breathing in and out the same song... Holy, holy, holy... shh... can you hear it?

Do you know some of these places?

Hmm? Summer 2013, I was in a meadow in Northern New Mexico.

Literally 100 miles from the nearest car, outlet, or cell phone.

It was 3am.

The dead of night.

I stepped out of my tent into the brightness of the starlight and moonlight... walked barefoot 100 yards because the grass was that soft and stood in an ankle deep brook.

And I swear that if I could've just reached a little higher, I could've held the stars between my thumb and forefinger, lowered one to my ear and heard... barely... just barely... Holy, Holy, Holy...

I swear if I could've just held the haze of the meadow in my hand...

I could've pulled it back like a curtain a gotten a glimpse of the night camps of the armies of the Lord of Hosts.

Some sleeping peacefully.

Some standing guard.

All breathing in and out the same song... Holy, holy, holy... shh... can you hear it?

Do you know some of these places?

Hmm? Summer 2013, I was in a meadow in Northern New Mexico.

Literally 100 miles from the nearest car, outlet, or cell phone.

It was 3am.

The dead of night.

I stepped out of my tent into the brightness of the starlight and moonlight... walked barefoot 100 yards because the grass was that soft and stood in an ankle deep brook.

And I swear that if I could've just reached a little higher, I could've held the stars between my thumb and forefinger, lowered one to my ear and heard... barely... just barely... Holy, Holy, Holy...

I swear if I could've just held the haze of the meadow in my hand...

I could've pulled it back like a curtain a gotten a glimpse of the night camps of the armies of the Lord of Hosts.

Some sleeping peacefully.

Some standing guard.

All breathing in and out the same song... Holy, holy, holy... shh... can you hear it?

The Bible talks about a few of them.

Some long destroyed or lost.

The Garden of Eden...

The tabernacle... Mount Sinai... Mount Moriah... the temple... the mount of transfiguration.

Do you know the kind of places I'm talking about?

I've only found a few... maybe 7 or 8.

They aren't all nature.

A long hallway on the 5th floor of a school in China.

An overcrowded dining room in Stella, Missouri.

A 3 lane drive-thru at the most efficient CFA in the country... have you found any of these portals?

Do you know the kind of places I'm talking about?

I've only found a few... maybe 7 or 8.

They aren't all nature.

A long hallway on the 5th floor of a school in China.

An overcrowded dining room in Stella, Missouri.

A 3 lane drive-thru at the most efficient CFA in the country... have you found any of these portals?

But... did you know that heaven embraced earth in other ways?

Not only in geographic places.

There are certain events or institutions where a channel for grace from God is uniquely opened, and the veil between heaven and earth is thinner than paper.

You experienced one of those moments just a few minutes ago in communion.

These are the Sacraments.

The Bible talks about a few of them.

Some long destroyed or lost.

The Garden of Eden...

The tabernacle... Mount Sinai... Mount Moriah... the temple... the mount of transfiguration.

The Bible talks about a few of them.

Some long destroyed or lost.

The Garden of Eden...

The tabernacle... Mount Sinai... Mount Moriah... the temple... the mount of transfiguration.

But... did you know that heaven embraced earth in other ways?

Not only in geographic places.

There are certain events or institutions where a channel for grace from God is uniquely opened, and the veil between heaven and earth is thinner than paper.

You experienced one of those moments just a few minutes ago in communion.

These are the Sacraments.

Protestants have only adopted 2 or 3 of these as sacred.

Communion in Baptism are fairly universal in the protestant church and marriage is considered a sacrament by many (and I tend to agree).