"Our Cup Runneth Over" A Thanksgiving Meditation Text: Psalm 23 Note: For this meditation you will need a large bowl into which you can set a cup (I will use the Communion Cup as I think it's a fit symbol of all the good things God gives for which we should be thankful). During the sermon, I will visibly show the act of a cup overflowing as I share some of the blessings that God has poured into my life so that my cup runneth over. But I will also take time in the midst of the sermon to allow each person who desires to also share. After they do, I will pour more water into the overflowing cup and have everyone say each time, "Our Cup Runneth Over." "Our Cup Runneth Over" Not long ago I was eating with Debbie in a popular restaurant in Harrisonburg, Virginia, called, "The Golden Corral." I had not eaten there in a long time. It has changed a lot - for the better. There was a line out the door already and it wasn't even noon. When we finally did get inside and were seated, the waitress brought us some plates as they served food buffet style. I must say, I have never seen a larger buffet. There were at least four or five different sections. I had a terrible time just deciding what I wanted! Over to the left was all the bread - bread of every kind. Next to it were the veggies - every veggie you have heard of and some you haven't. In the middle were the meats - from fish to roast beef, chicken, you name it. Beside it were the soups and salads - calm chowder, vegetable, potato, and several others. The salad bar had everything on it you could possible want. Then came the dessert section…I can't even describe all they had there… Boy, am I getting hungry! We got our food and went back to the table. I noticed that the line had gotten longer and wasn't surprised. That line grew the whole time we were in there. Then we bowed our heads to say the blessing… And something happened in my heart… I'm not sure I can describe it… That blessing became a lot more than just a mealtime ritual that day. From somewhere in the depths of my heart I felt this tremendous surge of gratitude, of thanksgiving…It so overwhelmed me that I felt tears coming into my eyes… For, you see, the thought came to me that all this food, in such abundance and variety, came from the good earth God has given to us all. I watched as the line of people got longer, but there was always more than enough food for all who came… And the thought came to me that this was but one group of people in one tiny restaurant. There are thousands of other restaurants also serving food, and what of the millions of homes were day after day families sit and eat… I became aware that day as I never have before of just how blessed I was, we all are especially in this country. I became aware as if for the first time of what a tremendous gift this land, this planet is for to us…what physical needs do we have that God does not meet through the resources of this wondrous planet Earth? Where did the clothes you are wearing come from? God's good earth! Where did the shelter that covers you and your family, that covers us right now as we worship come from? God's good earth! Where does the delicious food we will enjoy today and especially on Thanksgiving Day come from? God's good earth! Where do we get all the resources to make all the many things to help make life easier and better come from? God's good earth! Where does the air come from that you are breathing right now? God's good earth! And as I thought on all these things that day in that restaurant, the waitress came and filled my glass of tea, apologizing because she put so much in it that it overflowed. And that's exactly what I have felt ever since then - that my cup runneth over with the tremendous blessings of God! (Pour water into the cup until it overflows) Surely this is how the Psalmist felt. God had so blessed him, had poured blessing after blessing into his life that there was not room to contain them all! He sings, "My cup runneth over…" (Pour more water into the cup) What of you, my friends? How has God blessed you this past year so that your cup runneth over? Would any of you like to share, to give thanks right now? Please sit or stand and do so, after you do, I will pour more into this cup, and ask you to join with me in saying, OUR CUP RUNNETH OVER… When everyone has had the chance to share, then I will share the following to conclude this: Drinking from my saucer (By Jimmy Dean, I think) I've never made a fortune and it's probably too late now. But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow. And as I go along life's way, I'm reaping better than I sowed. I'm drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed Haven't got a lot of riches, and sometimes the going's tough. But I've got loving ones around me, and that makes me rich enough. I thank God for his blessings, and the mercies He's bestowed I'm drinking from my saucer, 'cause my cup has overflowed. O, Remember times when things went wrong, My faith wore somewhat thin But all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeped through again So Lord, help me not to gripe about the tough rows that I've hoed. I'm drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed. If God gives me strength and courage, When the way grows steep and rough. I'll not ask for other blessings, I'm already blessed enough. And may I never be too busy, to help others bear their loads. Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed. Because our cup runneth over and we can drink from the saucer, we should remember those whose cups are empty and have been for a long time. They are not far from us. They may live in your own community or even be in your own church (maybe your own family). There are certainly many out there all over the world who have so little. We have so much. Let us find ways to share the abundance of our blessings with them. That is perhaps one of the best ways we show our gratitude, for surely our cup runneth over!