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
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Fear
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Tone of specific sentences
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Anger
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Years ago, I heard a story once of a journalist who went to do a story on men who served in the foreign legion.
After several days of travel, the journalist arrived at their fort out in the middle of no where.
Interviews were conducted for several days and it was noted that these men knew each other very well.
After several days the journalist was having lunch with the commanding officer seeking to understand the men better.
As they were dining in the mess hall one of the men stood up and yelled “37!” Immediately the room erupted in laughter.
After only a few moments another stood up and yelled, “96!” Again, the room erupted in laughter.
Lastly another stood and yelled, “24!”
This time snickers were heard among the stifled groans.
The journalist asked, “What’s going on?”
The CO responded, “We’ve been together so long and told the same stories and jokes so many times the men have numbered them.
They’re telling jokes.”
Amazed, the journalist asked, “Can I try?”
“Sure!”
The CO said, “there’s over 200.”
Summoning confidence the journalist stood and shouted: “75!”
There was absolutely no reaction, the men just kept eating.
Not to be deterred, a few moments later the journalist shouted: “27!” Nothing.
Well thought the journalist, I’ll try one they already told, “37!” Nothing.
Sitting down the journalist turned to the CO and said, “I don’t understand?”
The CO responded after taking a sip of coffee, “Well, some people can tell a joke, and some people can’t.”
Sometimes in our Scriptures it can feel like that.
If I tell you a book, chapter, and verse, many of you will know exactly what I’m speaking about.
For instance, John 3:16 - most of you know that speaks of God’s love.
There are themes throughout Scripture, and especially when we get into the Gospels when we read the same words several times repeated by the Gospel writers.
God’s love
Grace
Peace
Love One Another
Holiness
In knowing this, let us open our hearts to hear what God’s Word has for us today.
First, some selected Proverbs from chapters 29 & 30.
Let’s read them together.
Moving in the Right Direction
Let us Pray
The proverbs are often very pithy in their directives.
They’re short and to the point, much like todays reading from the Gospel of Luke.
Let us read this together as we did the proverbs.
This morning I began with a silly story, and I shared it because I feel as if I preached on this only a short time ago and in reality I did, literally at the beginning of last month only my text was Matthew.
We talked about salt being a preservative, and also used as a flavoring agent.
I then went on to the point of letting your light shine which was the focus of that particular sermon.
In our passage today, Luke has used chapters 13 & 14 to speak of what it means to be a successful disciple.
On the one hand he points to the separating ourselves from restraints such as family commitments, property, and wealth, and on the other hand the carrying of our own cross in following Jesus.
The total separation from family, and even to hate your mother, father, sister, brother is a clear Semitic exaggeration that Jesus was quite fond of, but the point is where there are commitments our freedom is limited.
The allusion to a single mindedness is encouraged.
Like discipleship, salt is a good thing.
If other foods lose their taste, one can always add some salt, but if salt were to lose its taste, this would be an irretrievable disaster!
It could not even be put to those secondary uses of salt, as fertilizer for certain vegetables, or to regulate the rate of decay in the manure pile.
It would be useless.
But no more useless than the one who tries to be a disciple without coming to terms with the necessary conditions of discipleship.
The truth is that salt cannot lose its saltiness.
That is the truth.
But imagine if it could - it would be good for nothing.
In the same way, you as a disciple of Christ bear Christ’s mark on you that doesn’t go away.
One way or another you are representing Jesus in a good way, or a bad way, but you are representing Him.
Are you better at extending judgment or forgiveness.
If I’m honest, I’m much better at the former than the latter.
It is hard.
It wouldn’t be hard if we weren’t such flawed people dealing with flawed people.
We’ve all fallen short of God’s glory.
Jesus reminds us to look at the log in our own eye before we even think about the speck in our neighbor’s eye, or our brother’s or sister’s eye.
It’s not easy.
It has been said, “We judge others by their worst actions, while judging ourselves by our best intentions.”
Isn’t that the truth.
Why?
Because we can’t see someone’s intentions, and we infer them by their actions.
And what we see as their actions are most often not the complete story.
Our words, our actions make a difference in this world.
Jesus told his disciples,
When it comes to love, Paul wrote:
There are those around us who will imagine that our love has ended.
Let us always strive to be sure that is not so.
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