Pastor Clifford S. Stewart of Louisville, Ky., sent his parents a microwave oven one Christmas. Here’s how he recalls the experience:

“They were excited that now they, too, could be a part of the instant generation. When Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in, literally within seconds, the microwave transformed two smiles into frown! Even after reading the directions, they couldn’t make it work.

“Two days later, my mother was playing bridge with a friend and confessed her inability to get that microwave oven even to boil water. ‘To get this darn thing to work,’ she exclaimed, ‘I really don’t need better directions; I just needed my son to come along with the gift!’” When God gave the gift of salvation, he didn’t send a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out; he sent his Son.

That is why we celebrate at Christmas. Please join me Christmas Eve at 9 p.m. for our annual Christmas Eve service at the Ritz Carlton Lodge. Hope you can come. Wishing you much love and much light.