Shepherd's Light: Cups

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me,

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Recently I met a couple who were planning their wedding reception. Both the bride's side and the groom's had some problems: Aunt Mary isn't speaking to Uncle Fred; Mom can't stand Step-mom, and no-one really wants to sit with cranky Cousin George. Gives a new meaning to "preparing a table in the presence of enemies!" While modern respect for the hosts should ensure a pleasant meal; in Biblical times, the guests depended on the host for safety. A gracious host would provide fragrant oils to annount his most honoured guests, and present a lavish feast with the best of everything. Guests could relax and enjoy themselves without fear of any unpleasantness or harm: His protection ensured that no one had to be afraid, even if enemies were at the same banquet.

My friends' wedding is going to be a modest affair: the banquet our Lord is preparing for us is sure to be much more lavish. After all He's been making plans for centuries! When we get to the next line in Psalm 23, I'm reminded of the "champagne towers" at the most extravagent events: a pyramid of sparkling glasses that awaits the best wine. Before the toasts, precious liquid is poured into the top glass until it overflows. As each tier of glasses is filled, the overflow pours into the tier beneath, until all are filled to the brim. What a great illustration of God's lovingkindness [hesed] pouring into us: as our cups overflow with His Love, His Mercy, and His Grace, we pour out the excess into one another! And because of His amazing goodness, we don't have to wait until the wedding banquet of the Lamb that's pictured in Revelation, our cups overflow here and now. No one has to fill his own cup; no one is left empty. Each of us ministers to others in the body and to a thirsty world out of the great richness that's poured into us from our Heavenly Father.

Step 2 Cutting: If you are making the Shepherd's Light quilt, you will need to make 4 cups. Cutting instructions are for one cup: cut the same number of patches for each cup. Because you will be dealing with bias edges, you may wish to spray starch and iron your fabric before you cut.
Fabric	Patch	Cut
Cup	A	1 rectangle 2 5/8" x 3 7/8"
	B	1 square 2 3/8"*
	C	2 squares 1 1/4"
Background	D	2 squares 2 3/8"
	E	2 rectangles 2" x 3 1/2"
*If you are making two cups the same, you will only need one B square for two cups.

Step 5 - Cup section

Sew the long edge of a D triangle to the short side of the A rectangle: the D triangle should have 1/4" dog-ears extending beyond the edge of the rectangle. Press seam toward the rectangle.

2
Align another D triangle with the long edge of the A rectangle, so that the end overlaps the previous triangle by 1/4" [see photo.] Sew. Hint: the 1/4" seam line will begin at the "notch" of the triangle--(circled area in the photo). Press seam toward D.

Sew the remaining D triangle on the opposite long edge of the A rectangle in the same manner

You will probably want to sew this side with the triangle on the bottom. Begin sewing at the notch again. Press toward the triangle.

Trim this unit to 3 1/2" square: I use a small square-up ruler, and align the diagonal line with the corner of the D triangle.

6. Trim off dog ears.

Step 6 - Assemble cup

Sew the two sections together. Press toward the cup.

Make 3 more cups in the same manner.

Step 6 - Assemble block

Cut sashing strips - we chose a Dark Medium for our sashing, but you may wish to audition your fabrics to find one you like. You will need

2 strips 1 1/2" x 5" plus one strip 1 1/2" x 10 1/2"

Sew the longer strip between the pairs, being sure the short strips are aligned. Press toward the sashing.