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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Joy
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Analytical
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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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Anger
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To the Tune of...
This poem was a song… A song written to a familiar contemporary tune.
A song long remembered by God’s people.
It’s a love song written to God, who seems to have turned away from his people.
Music is a gift to us.
It can find a rhythm with our longings.
It can strike a chord with our heart’s deepest desires.
Everyone isn’t skilled at singing, but almost everyone at least hums a tune every now and then.
It’s part of how we make sense of our lives.
That’s why I can enjoy all kinds of music.
New and old.
I like traditional hymns because they remind me of God’s faithful actions in the past.
I like newer songs because they remind me my faith has to keep growing today.
I have to understand how my faith helps me make sense of what God is doing now, rather than reject everything new and miss what God is doing now.
And that’s what even older songs were trying to do: help people make sense of their lives at that time.
Music helps us honor the past and experience the present.
Some songs are upbeat and positive.
Some songs are slow and peaceful.
Some songs are sad.
This is an epic song because it touches on almost every area.
Famous Lyrics
You may recognize the first line of this song.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why write such words down?
Well, the Psalms are first of all honest.
Therefore our prayers and our songs must be honest.
The problem with some church music is that it’s idealized.
It’s cheesy.
God’s people have left us clues about how to write great songs.
How to pray great prayers.
They aren’t all polished and perfect.
These songs are messy.
These prayers are a little messed up in places.
That’s what makes them so awesome.
Before you decide these lyrics are scandalous remember where you’ve heard them before.
Jesus was hanging on the cross.
Jesus was dying for our sins.
Jesus was suffering beyond imagination.
Jesus was singing a hit song.
With his final breaths he was praying to the Father.
To the casual observer it just sounds like a desperate dying man giving up.
But I wonder if something more was going on...
Honesty means getting it all out
Sometimes we may give the impression that having faith means having it all together.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Biblical faith can admit to being broken.
Lord, I’m praying.
I’m crying out but I’m getting the silent treatment!
Lord, I’m so upset I can’t sleep at night.
Where are you?
Lord, I’ve heard the stories.
I know you’ve helped other people.
God’s people all through history cried out to you and you delivered them.
They weren’t disappointed, so why not me?
My so called friends make fun of me.
People look at me and shake their heads Lord.
They judge me before they even know the score.
Ever been there?
The Psalmist has.
Jesus has.
I’m surrounded by beasts, he says.
They are about to tear me apart.
My body is giving out.
Everything hurts and I can’t go on.
My heart is growing weak.
My strength is gone.
Might as well plan my funeral, Lord.
It looks like you’ve as good as buried me.
No shiny happy churchy words there.
No power of positive thinking.
It’s the power of being honest before God.
The power of pouring out your heart when it feels like you’re being poured out like water.
As long as we pretend we never get to what is real.
Whenever our hearts grieve a loss we can pretend someone else is the cause or we can be honest about how it feels and begin to move forward.
Key Word:
When the psalmist was talking about the people of God in days gone by there was a key word.
In you they trusted… We can print it on the money.
We can plaster it on our license plates.
But it doesn’t really mean much until life puts us to the test.
As we get older or face danger we have to deal with our mortality.
Nothing like facing the reality of death to refocus us.
Steve Jobs said that death was a gift that helps us focus on life.
So being a finite being reminds us to make every day count.
It also reminds us to prepare to meet our maker.
These are good things.
There is an opportunity for IN GOD WE TRUST to be more than a slogan.
It can be a beacon that lights up the valley of the shadow of death...
Faith is where the journey with God begins.
But when faith means only belief in ideas things stay shallow.
At the deep end of the pool are waters that can truly hold you up.
Faith becomes trust as we journey through the challenging terrain.
Even death won’t stop faith.
They trusted you and were not put to shame.
They trusted you, Lord.
By your grace.
With your help.
They trusted you and ignored the scorn of men.
They trusted you.
Can I trust you, Lord?
Something begins to turn.
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