Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ, sure doesn’t score any popularity points with the words He speaks to us in our Gospel [Luke 14:25-33] today: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Those words of Jesus don’t make any sense to us because, after all, it was our great God Himself Who actually created those things, Who brought us into those relationships and, after blessing us with those relationships, now seemingly expects us to shun them, to hate them, to know in advance that is what is required of us if we are to be His disciples.

Let’s see if we can’t together make sense of these confusing words of Jesus. I believe our solution will be found in our Second Reading today.

Those of you who have been around here for a number of years might remember that about 8 or 10 years ago, I was given a nickname. The nickname was given me by people I really didn’t know, people I had really just met, people who didn’t know anything about me except for one thing. That nickname was “Full Throttle.” That nickname was given me by the owners and operators of the first wave runner – or water ski – company I rented my ‘runner from while on vacation in Key West. That nickname was given me because of something I learned by experience very quickly the first time I rode a ‘runner. That secret – and something I have tried sharing with many others through the years – is that the wave runner is called a wave runner for a reason, that if you ride a wave runner on the open ocean as if you were the proverbial “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” it will not be enjoyable – you’ll bounce up and down on every single wave or wake. But, if you open the ski up, if you go “Full Throttle” and actually allow the wave runner to run the waves – to skim across the top of the waves and wakes instead of bouncing up and down on every single wave or wake, wave running will actually be enjoyable and you’ll get much more out of the experience.

Full Throttle. Is that what Jesus is talking about?

I think it is what St. Paul wrote about in his letter to his friend, Philemon. Philemon had this slave by the name of Onesimus, who had come to know Paul and who had come to experience the great love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter to Philemon was an attempt to bring the two back together again, not only in a working relationship, but also as new brothers in Christ Jesus. The “Full Throttle” part of St. Paul’s letter is in verse 6, where He writes, “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”

It seems strange that Paul would write those words to a fellow brother in Christ, but I think Paul was onto something. Even in his own relatively short time of living as a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul had experienced fellow followers whose faith was just there, just a static possession. And then Paul had also experienced fellow followers who had gone “Full Throttle,” who were all out for Jesus Christ. And the difference between the two of them was the difference between wave running and slamming the ‘runner against every single wave. The “full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” is found when we’re active in sharing our faith.

What Paul was pleading for with Philemon was that his faith would be something that wouldn’t just be a pretty gold chain and cross hanging around his neck, a colorful witnessing bracelet worn on the wrist or a license plate frame or Christian symbol on the back of his cars. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s so much more to faith than that. The “full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ” comes when we go “Full Throttle,” when the concepts of Christian living are not just contained within the gray matter that sloshes around in our skulls, but when those Christian concepts of love and forgiveness and acceptance and change and repentance are things that impact our daily lives. Then we fully understand our faith. Then we fully understand what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Then we truly enjoy our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

And that’s what Jesus had in mind when He said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”

To the man who said to Jesus, “Yes, Lord, I will be Your follower, but first let me bury my father,” Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead” [Matthew 8:22].

To the man who took and buried in the ground the treasure entrusted to Him, Jesus said, “It will be taken from him and given to someone else” [Matthew 25:14-30].

To St. Peter, Jesus said, “Come to Me on the water.” It was only when Peter took his eyes off Jesus that he got wet feet [Matthew 14:22-36].

To St. Thomas, who swore not to believe in the Resurrected Christ unless his fingers poked into the wounded hands of Jesus and unless his hand was thrust into the wounded side of Jesus, Jesus said, “Stop doubting and believe” [John 20:27].

There’s what we call the “comfort level” faith, which many people later discover truly isn’t comfortable at all. Then there’s “Full Throttle” Faith, which may appear scary at first, but, in the end, proves to be extremely enjoyable. It proves to be the place where we understand every good thing we have in Christ.

Now let’s admit it. There have been many times during our earthly walk with our Lord that we’ve settled for “comfort level” faith, where we have lived our faith like the “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” where our faith admittedly hasn’t been as enjoyable as we expected it to be. Thank God, on this Labor Day Weekend, for the great labor of Jesus Christ, Who lived His life in “Full Throttle,” Whose ministry was all about getting people to realize what faith in Him was all about, Whose suffering, death and Resurrection not only set the example of what “Full Throttle” Faith is all about, but which also forgave every single time we’ve instead chosen to live a “comfort level” faith.

So, my friends, are you ready for a truly enjoyable experience in your faith life? Then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, go “Full Throttle” and let Jesus bring you to a full understanding of every good thing we have in Him.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena