Category Archives: Radio Reflections

Every weekday morning, a member of the Malta Ministerial Association gives a short reflection on the local radio station at about 6:45 AM. We also pick a Christian hymn or contemporary Christian song to play following our reflection. Each minister takes a week, and it’s my turn again this week.When I was a kid, my family had an annual tradition around this time of year. We would load up in the car and spend an hour or so one evening slowly driving around town looking at how people decorated their houses with Christmas lights. We were always amazed at the level of care and detail people would put into lighting up their houses, and we enjoyed the time immensely.

If you’ve driven around Malta after dark during the last week or so, it’s obvious that the annual ritual of putting up Christmas lights and decorating the lawns has begun in earnest. Lights are already starting to show up around town, and I’m sure preparations are well underway, if not complete, for the Parade of Lights this evening. To quote the classic song, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

Although many people might view Christmas lights only as festive decorations to brighten up a dark time of the year, there is a far deeper significance to these beautiful light displays. Of course, the purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of the titles that we find in the Bible for Our Lord is Light of the World, meaning that Jesus leads us through the darkness of sin and death into the light of eternal life with Our Heavenly Father.

During this time of year, when there are so few hours of daylight and the winter darkness seems to be unending, it’s easy to see the symbolism behind the lights that we put up. Despite the darkness of night surrounding our houses, the Christmas lights shine brightly as beacons of joy. There is a sense of welcome in the beauty of the lights, just as Our Lord welcomes all of us with open arms to come to Him and follow Him.

This year, as we decorate our homes with radiant light and gather downtown this evening for the Parade of Lights, may the Christmas lights we display be more than decorations, but proclaim to the world the birth of Christ, the Light of the World.

This morning’s song (recommended by Pennyante on Plurk): Walk in the Light, performed by Aretha Franklin