“Reboot” (Romans 12:1-8)

Romans 12:1-8

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 27, 2023

I’m sure you’ve  had a computer crash or your phone freeze or stop working? One of the preschool office computers crashed last week. When you talk to a technician, they’ll often ask, “Have you tried restarting or rebooting your device?” Sometimes outdated software needs to be updated. To do this, you must download the software and then the computer or phone will have to restart, reboot, and then it should be in good working order.

One of my favorite movies is called The Matrix. It’s the world overtaken by artificial intelligence. Machines have taken over everything—including every human being. Everyone is literally plugged into a computer mainframe. The computer generates all the input for sense of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch. Everything people experience is computer-generated. It’s such a powerful computer program that people don’t realize it isn’t real. They don’t realize their bodies are in pods—only experiencing a virtual world the computer is creating. The good news is that some have been unplugged and liberated. They can now move around and see the world as it is. They dedicate their lives to working together and freeing others. They know the truth and it has set them free. Once a person is freed, they no longer want to conform to the old computer-generated life. They must restart their lives all over again in this new and greater reality. Their thinking is forever altered after this radical reboot of their minds.

Long before computers, our Scripture from Romans says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” This Scripture challenges us to be non-conformists—to unplug ourselves from the world’s mainframe—to not go along with the crowd. I remember when I told my dad how I got into some mischief by following my friends, he said, “Tommy, if your friends asked you to jump off a bridge would you?” “Do not be conformed to this world.” This is just as Jesus prayed in John 17: that we who are “in the world…would not be of the world” (John 17:11,16). 1 Peter 2:9 says that “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” The Old King James Version says, we are a “Peculiar people.”

This world is not our home. We are citizens of Christ’s kingdom. We are sojourners in this foreign land. We pray “Thy Kingdom come” because our identity as children of God transcends our ethnicity, tribalism, and our political allegiances. As we engage in non-violent resistance to the powers and principalities of this present darkness, we surrender our lives and minds to our Creator in living sacrifice. This is what we do in worship, we commit our ourselves body and soul and all things to God just as Christ offered himself on the Cross of Calvary. The Holy Spirit helps us let go of our ego and pride. The Spirit enlightens our minds to see how we speak lies to ourselves—how our thinking is like the thinking of the world that is passing away not the Kingdom that comes. This is the grace of humility that our Scripture is talking about—the gift of “not thinking of ourselves more highly that we ought to think” but “with sober judgment.” It is a blessing to realize that our minds need renewal—to be reprogrammed—to have a fresh start and reboot.

When I was a freshman in college and only 19 years old, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain. My mom, in her wisdom, knew I needed some humbling and sobering—and a fresh start. So she put a folded, 3 by 5 inch card in my wallet from Proverbs chapter 3 (vv. 5-8):

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

What we all need is a Spirit-inspired “force quit” of all the unhealthy thoughts stirring around in our heads. “Force quit” and then “move to trash”—throwing destructive thinking away. Next, we download all our operational software updates from Scripture as we hear, read, and meditate on the Word of God. This hits the reset button to allow the old systems pass away. The Holy Spirit reboots our minds for a fresh restart. We no longer have our thinking shaped by the system failures of this world or the invasive viruses that infect our minds and hearts. We have a firewall and anti-virus protection from God’s Word, his angels, and the Spirit to keep us safe from those trying to hack and crash our renewed sense of who we are and whose we are.

A marvelous thing happens when God leads us out of conformity with the world. “Be transformed”—metamorphoō—where we get the word “metamorphosis.” “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to us, but our Father in heaven.” The old way of thinking has passed. By the power of the resurrection, a new way has come. We no longer need to inflate our own ego. We stop comparing ourselves to one another. We stop competing. We think, as our Scripture says, “with sober judgment.” Charles Spurgeon from the 19th century said that this is repentance—not just a change of mind—but a great and deep change—even of the mind itself. We now recognize the astounding beauty all around us and the mind-altering truth: though we are many members, we are united in Christ. Our differences are no a threat but a gift. This complete overhaul of our minds enables us to celebrate what God is doing to transform us, bind us all together, and make us one.

“To the dogs” Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 14, 2023

Jesus leaves Jewish territory toward Gentile territory. He is on the margins. He is about to cross cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. A Canaanite woman leaves Gentile territory toward Jewish territory. She is on the margins. She is about to cross cultural, religious, and ethnic boundaries. She had to have known about Jesus. She uses the messianic title “Son of David.” She prays the prayer the multitudes have already prayed in Israel: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” She comes to Jesus calling him the King of the Jews knowing he is Global King, King of kings, Lord of lords. We know little of her story, only that a demon is tormenting her daughter. Perhaps it was a result of false, Canaanite religion—or a brutal form of spiritual and mental illness. Maybe she exhausted all of the healers and exorcists of her region. 

The Canaanite woman is shouting. But Jesus gives her the silent treatment. He won’t even acknowledge her. Jesus is acting like a typical Gentile-phobic Jew. This opens the door for the disciples to take this Gentile-phobia a step further. They urge Jesus to send the woman away. Stop pretending she is not there, Jesus, and just make her go away. She is a Canaanite and a woman! Jesus says he came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day. We know that, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free. He came for the sheep in the fold as well as the sheep outside the fold. He is the Savior of the world.

After she kneels before him, he gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day again. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus’ actions and words are perplexing, troubling, and strangely brilliant. He won’t even dignify her by including her in the human race—as was the prevailing attitude of his day. The food—the gifts of God are for the people of God. In the kingdom that is passing away, you are either in or out. You are either a winner or a loser. You are either a child of god or a scavenging animal.

Is this not what is wrong about our world? Dare I begin to do what Jesus did and bring to light the horrible name-calling of today and yesterday? We should acknowledge that we still use dehumanizing language today. It may be a person with a darker skin tone, a different culture, another language, an immigrant, or a refugee. It may be a person whose appearance, choices, or affections go against dominant cultural norms. There have been many times in human history and even today when many wish that they—whoever they are—would just go away. If they aren’t seen then we can go back to our comfortable world where “those people” don’t exist. 

We know it was her faith—Jesus tells us it is her faith that made her leave her homeland with all their own phobias, prejudices, and racism and go to Jesus. She shouts, persists, and kneels to have the world’s Messiah answer her prayer. She believes that Jesus did not come for just the Jewish race but the human race—even those considered to be outside the boundaries of Israel. Jesus believes in her. He knows that her faith and prayers will endure his silence and name-calling. She shows us how to endure God’s silence when we pray. His silence does not mean God does not care or is absent. She believes the Kingdom Jesus is ushering is for every tribe and language and people and nation.

Jesus gives voice to the prevailing attitude of the day again: “It’s not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” He throws her this curveball knowing  she will hit it out of the park. It’s going to be a home run for the Canaanite team. She says, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Instead of protesting Jesus’ choices of words. Instead of fighting back. She uses the term “dogs” to expand our vision of the Master’s Table. She humbles herself. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs,” she says. She lifts up the Master of the Table. She knows he is good. She knows that in him there is neither slave nor free, male nor female, Jew or Gentile. Jesus, Son of David does not just come for the sheep of Israel’s fold but for the sheep outside the fold.

Jesus says to her, “Woman,”—not dog—“Woman, great is your faith!” Indeed her faith is great. She expands our vision of God’s love in Christ. She will not accept denigrating, dehumanizing labels. She knows some may see her and her daughter as dirty, scavenging Gentile dogs, but God sees them as his precious creation. She does not let others define who she and her daughter are. She doesn’t even let Jesus do it. She knows Jesus is giving her an opportunity to shine this new light upon our humanity in Christ. One sixth century biblical scholar named Epiphanius said this Canaanite woman is “the mother of the Gentiles.” She brings her daughter to Jesus to be healed. She is now a forerunner for all us Gentiles to come. She not only brings her daughter but brings hope and good news to all of us non-Jews. So we come to the Master’s Table today—not for scraps—but as beloved children. We don’t call each other names but sister and brother. Our cup runs over. We have bountiful bread. He gives his Body and Blood for the life of the world, for forgiveness, and to strengthen us body and soul to life everlasting.