Restored

This week's Bible study post (Phrases within the phrases) is hardly present (but if you look hard you can find it) in Sunday's sermon at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, IL.
"Restored" text
"Restored" podcast

Phrases within the phrases

Here's this week's Bible reflection;

So many know the 23rd Psalm by rote.  So often we try to find something new in what has been a place of comfort and healing for generations.  Here’s another of those attempts.

What are the most comforting, refreshing, and uplifting short phrases you can find in Psalm 23?  Here are some that jump out at me:

I shall not want
Still waters
Restoreth my soul
I will fear no evil
Thou are with me
My cup runneth over

What would it look like if those phrases were even shorter? 

No needs
Calm
Restored
Protected
Not alone
Overflowing

Nice.

My Cup Runneth Over

i.ucc.org launched with an updated look this week. (It's great, too!) Just before the update I posted some reflections about Psalm 23 here -- and the just after the update the post was on the Bible blog. That entry (Cups) is still around and it's been expanded into Sunday's sermon at Union Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Somonauk.
"My Cup Runneth Over" text
"My Cup Runneth Over" podcast

Cups

i.ucc.org is launching an updated version tomorrow, so this week's Bible study blog entry is appearing here first! (It'll be at i.ucc.org, along with a Bible study forum late Tuesday or early Wednesday.)

You’ve done the "cup is half full" or "cup is half empty" test, right? But have you done the "cup is full" or the "cup is overflowing" test?

When you read the 23rd Psalm, in particular the 5th verse, how do you imagine a cup? Is it full? Is it overflowing? Is it running over? Is it brimming? Is there more than the cup can hold?

There are many different ways the 23rd Psalm is translated into English. I’d like to explore the different translations of the sentence that the King James Version of the Bible renders, "My cup runneth over." How do these translations strike you?

My cup overflows.
My cup overflows with blessings.
My cup is full!
You give me more than I can hold.
Blessings overflow!
My cup brims with blessing.
You fill my cup to the brim.
My cup brims over.
My cup is full and spilling over.
My drink is abundant.

What other translations of the end of Psalm 23:5 can you find? How do they relate to the whole character of the Psalm?