The Price Tag
I met Tony for the first time last Saturday and it was all because of Tiffany. Several months ago, Tiffany and Tony did me a great honor asking me to officiate their upcoming wedding slated for December 18th in Ft. Worth. Although Tony was a stranger to me before last weekend, I have known Tiffany since she was a child. Twice, she sat in my Bible classes in Room 258, as both an eighth grader and as a sophomore and both times she excelled. We met at Starbucks, the one in Meyerland for you Houston readers, and discussed some details of the big affair. I really knew the answers to my two big questions back in our initial phone conversation early in the summer. The first one had to do with the vows they will speak in several months. The other concerned what they wanted me to wear- can't clash with the bridesmaids! We settled for a black suit/creme-colored shirt/red or red/black tie. And as I drank my coffee last Saturday, I told the soon to be newlyweds that I had purchased a potential wedding tie that morning AND IT COST LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS. As soon as I said it, I realized it must sound like I was treating their blessed event as an occasion I could slide by with dressing cheaply. Quickly, I explained that the ARROW tie was being cleared out for the fall line and the original price tag was $36 as you can see above. The 80% reduction was further reduced by a 20% reduction for using my KOHL'S charge card. On top of that, I had a $5 KOHL'S REWARD coupon for accumulating 100 points, bringing the total down to a measly $1.91! Now all I need is for Tiffany to tell me the tie is a go on wedding day!
It's funny because this week, we talked in my Gospels' classes about Jesus' first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. We talked about what a social disaster it would have been to run out of wine and how the gossip might have lasted for years. In all of my classes, we discussed the marriage of Johnny and Mahana in the LDS movie, Johnny Lingo, a huge feast just a day after the bride price was agreed upon. What huge traditions weddings are in all cultures and rightfully so. The joining of a woman and man in matrimony goes back to the earliest chapters in Genesis. Jesus used the settings of weddings as illustrations in several of His parables. In Ephesians 5, we hear Paul speaking of marriage and the church. And what was the price that Christ paid? He Gave Himself, the ultimate price. We used to sing the hymn, Jesus Paid It All. Notice it didn't say He paid a percentage; He gave everything. We like bargains and sales and coupons but there was no mark down for the salvation of our souls. One price fit all- the red blood of Jesus Christ. There could be no discount for our salvation. I got off cheaply because I am by nature a frugal guy. Our blessed Savior did not have that luxury.
Applicable quote of the day:
I remember when I was in school, they would ask, 'What are you going to be when you grow up?' and then you'd have to draw a picture of it. I drew a picture of myself as a bride.
Gwen Stefani
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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