INTRODUCTION:

There's an old story about two crows sitting on the handles of an old plow, on the edge of the field next to a country road. An old pick up comes bouncing down the road. The pick is just coming back from town and the bed of the truck is filled with a months worth of groceries. As it gets alongside the two crows sitting on the handles of the plow, something bounces out of the back of the truck.

Crows being crows, the both fly down to see what it is. After some discussion and some tasting they decide that it's edible. One of the crows even recognizes it. It's one of those long tubes of unsliced bologna. They both go at it. They eat about half of that tube of bologna and first crow gets full. He flies back to the plow handle to sun himself and clean up after eating.

The second crow grabs the remaining half of the bologna and flies back to the plow handle, too. Once there, he continues to gorge himself on the bologna. You know how salty bologna can be? Well, while the second crow is devouring the bologna, the first crow decides he needs a drink of water to wash that saltiness out of his mouth and flies off to get a drink.

When he gets back, the second crow is still eating. The second crow keeps eating until the bologna is all gone. Now he's stuffed to the gills with bologna. He's so full his feathers won't even lay flat. And he's thirsty, so he decides to fly off and get a drink, too. He pushes off and flaps his wings but no sooner does he go about 4 feet when the weight of all he's eaten sends him crashing, helplessly to the ground and dies.

The moral of this story is simple: "Don't fly off the handle if you're full of bologna."

I know that's bad but what can I say, because in one sense, in a round about sort of way, that's exactly what James says in a portion of his letter.

What he writes is this: James 2:1-17 (NRSV)

[1] My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?

[2] For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in,

[3] and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet,"

[4] have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

[5] Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

[6] But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?

[7] Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

[8] You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

[9] But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

[10] For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

[11] For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

[12] So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.

[13] For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

[14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?

[15] If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food,

[16] and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?

[17] So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Passing judgment on others is for the birds. And we're full of bologna when do pass judgment. In the Kingdom of God, outward appearance doesn't matter.

Remember the old Children's Nursery Rhyme? I found at least ten variations but this is the one I remember. It was used as a counting song or as an elimination song to choose who would be it.

Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief.

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor,

Gentleman, Ploughboy, Merchant, Chief.

We might look upon each of those trades or jobs differently but God looks at the individual, not their job or their outward appearance. James confronts us about being too full of bologna. And about being too full of ourselves.

This morning is Communion Sunday. Christ Jesus invites us to his table, where this is no distinction. Christ Jesus invites us to an All You Can Eat Buffet of God's Grace. And the only thing we're asked is to COME EMPTY, so you can LEAVE FILLED.

I. COME EMPTY:

The first thing we want to do is COME EMPTY. We've talked about this before. The trash sacks filled with the garbage of our souls and our lives are still at the foot of the cross with the rest of the garbage Jesus died for. We can't come to Him with all of that weighing us down.

And today, we can't come to His Table if we COME FULL. WE HAVE TO COME EMPTY.

You can't come full of yourself.

You can't come full of prejudices.

You can't come full of hate.

You can't come full of anger at your brother or boss or spouse or children.

You can't come full of answers.

You can't come full of judgmentalism.

YOU CAN'T COME FULL. WE HAVE TO COME EMPTY

You have to come empty. You have to come hungry and needy. You have to come seeking not satisfied. If you're FULL there is no room for God's Grace, love and forgiveness. So you have to empty your heart and soul of all those things that might keep you from feasting at this All You Can Eat Buffet of Grace and Forgiveness.

YOU HAVE TO COME EMPTY SO YOU CAN LEAVE FILLED.

II. LEAVE FILLED:

A. AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WHEN YOU COME EMPTY SO YOU WILL LEAVE FILLED.

A large prosperous downtown church in London, had three mission churches under its care. Churches that it had started. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the city church for a combined communion service.

In those mission churches, which were located in the slums of the city there were some outstanding cases of conversions, thieves, burglars, drug addicts, alcoholics, you name it, but they all knelt side by side at the same Communion rail. They all came to the same Table.

On one occasion the pastor saw a former burglar kneeling beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England. This judge had sent the burglar to jail where he had served for seven years. After his release this burglar had been converted and become strong Christian and Christian worker. As they knelt beside each other, the judge and the former convict, neither one seemed to be aware of the other.

After the service, the judge was walking home with the pastor and said to the pastor, "Did you notice who was kneeling beside me at the communion rail this morning?"

The pastor replied, "Yes, but I didn't know that you noticed."

The two walked along in silence for a few more moments, and then the judge said "What a miracle of grace."

The pastor nodded in agreement, "Yes, what a marvelous miracle of grace."

And then the judge turned and asked: "But to whom do you refer?"

And the pastor said, "Why, to the conversion of that convict."

The judge said, "But I wasn't referring to him. I was thinking of myself."

The pastor was surprised and replied: "You were thinking of yourself? I don't understand."

The judge explained. "It did not cost that burglar much to get converted when he came out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help.

But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as a gentleman; that my word was to be my bond; that I was to say my prayers, go to church, take communion and so on. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. (1)

Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on a level with that burglar. It took much more grace to forgive me for all my pride and self-deception, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict that I had sent to prison."

That Judge understood completely what it means to COME EMPTY SO YOU CAN LEAVE FILLED.

When we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED with the knowledge and assurance of our forgiveness.

When we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED with the grace of God born of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

When we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED with hope for ourselves and for the future.

When we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED with love which mirrors God's unconditional love for us.

When we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED with the Holy Spirit, Christ's very presence in our daily lives, reminding us that we belong to Him.

CONCLUSION:

Mom was celebrating a birthday and the rest of the family was treating her to a party. When the time for the presentation of the gifts arrived, she was instructed to sit in her favorite living room chair. One by one, the father and the two older children came in from the kitchen bearing their gifts on a tray, solemnly presenting them to Mom as if she were a Queen.

The smallest girl, who was really too little to have had much input on the gift selection, had been left out of all these joyous plans. But watching the party, she rose to the occasion.

Just when the others thought the party was over, she appeared from the kitchen bearing an empty tray. Approaching her mother she placed the tray on the floor, stepped upon it herself, and with a childish wiggle of joy said, "Mommy, I give you ME!" (2)

When we COME EMPTY, we bring only ourselves, which is the best and greatest gift we can ever give to God. It's the only gift God ever asks for. And it's the gift God gave to us through Jesus.

And when we COME EMPTY, with just the gift of ourselves, God meets us and feeds us and fills us to overflowing.

It doesn't make any difference whether we're a Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, or Thief, when we COME EMPTY, we LEAVE FILLED.

So, empty yourself this morning. If you're full of bologna or not, empty yourself of all that might separate you from God.

COME EMPTY to this All You Can Eat Buffet of Grace and Forgiveness and LEAVE FILLED.

1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), July 1982

2. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), March 1987

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Homiletics, (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)

Lectionary Homiletics, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)

Dynamic Preaching, (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN)

The Clergy Journal, (Logos Productions, Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN)

Preaching Magazine (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN)

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The Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1953)

The New Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1995)

Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 2002) SermonPrep Version.

Preaching the Miracles, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1998) SermonPrep Version.

Preaching the Parables, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1997) SermonPrep Version.