One or my favorite catalogs is from The Vermont Country Store. It is full of nostalgic items from decades past. While it is enjoyable to browse it isn’t something that fits my wallet. A bar of Lifebouy soap fills me with childhood memories and would be fun to have, but not for $11.95. I love chocolate covered cherries and they look scrumptious but for $1.53 a piece I can close my eyes and remember what they taste like. That works just fine and better yet it is a calorie free way to enjoy one.
While wondering who buys, who pays for, these delights I think most people purchase them for presents. Rarely would we spend so much for ourselves but if something would bring joy to a loved one then we go ahead. We ask, “What will bring a big smile on the face of ….?” Our love for that person will motivate us to go ahead. We are not really buying the Lifebouy or the chocolate covered cherries; we are using the item to say, “I love you.”
That is the message of the cross. God sent us His only Son because of His love for us. It was the ultimate gift to bring to us not merely a smile but an eternity to feast our eyes and minds on the wonders of God’s kingdom, a place filled with endless wonders. When we see the smile on a loved one’s face upon opening a gift we don’t think of the cost. When Jesus looks over the sea of the redeemed He will surely exclaim, “It was cheap enough. It was worth every stripe from the lash, every thorn and every nail.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 6, 2012
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