On this historic day with the new buses running, I’d like to comment on our state of being.

While sitting at the airport, I watched one bus after another take off. Wow, whoever was there didn’t need to wait more than five minutes! That certainly is an improvement from before but, yet, I miss those beautifully-coloured, bright old buses! So have we really improved? That is the question.

Of course, in many ways we have moved forward. Take, for example, those new clean buses, better roads and the nice flowers and greenery at the roundabouts. Together with many of you, I’m happy and thankful for these improvements! But, in many ways, we have and are moving backwards. Let me use the Malta International Airport as an example. Much has been built onto the Malta airport and many things were changed but how much have we really improved? Again, that is the question.

Some years ago in the airport there was space and on a couple of walls there were texts like “Jesus loves you!” or “Turn back to God” or “Jesus died for you! Come to Him”. Those were beautiful texts and had nothing to do with money. They were encouragements and a good message to help people deal with sin and turn to a better life. They were all about what God wanted to give – His love and Christ’s sacrifice for us. Those so-called “ads” led to changed lives that had received God’s love and grace. How I long for those days with those beautiful encouragements on the walls in a public place like the airport.

But look at what we have now. MIA has become one giant wall of advertisement. It doesn’t matter where your eye wanders off to, there’s an ad and it’s all about someone wanting to make money off us. What a setback! And if that weren’t enough, whoever is in charge has created yet even more spaces that will be lit up from the back with more advertisements, even giant billboards outside and hanging from the ceiling inside. From absolutely every angle we are bombarded by advertisements – outside and in! The airport is nothing but ads, ads and more adds!

So why am I pointing this out? The real issue is that, bit by bit, Malta is becoming just like all the other big EU countries that have pushed God and His saving grace through the Lord Jesus completely out of the picture. It’s become all about “me” and the big “I”. I want, we want! We want money! We don’t need God any more. Who is Jesus Christ? We don’t care! Let’s make some more money. Listen to me, buy from me! Yes, our airport has become one giant billboard screaming for our attention and wanting our money.

Not only that but we’ve roped everything off so people stand in lines like cattle pushed forward between steel bars to be shipped off. There are few places to just sit down without having to be forced to buy something. Then, we go through security, which we understand but which reveals the sad state that we’re in: always threatened and having to be afraid! Then, we come upstairs to go to the gates to board our planes and, again, are confronted with ads, billboards in all sizes and buying is almost forced on us as we have to go through all the stuff that is there to be sold.

Where is the space? Where is the rest? Where is the peace? Where is the friendly message? Where is God?

Friends, I tell you, give it just a little while longer and God, His love and grace and all the good will have been pushed out of our society. Is that what you want? My message today is: Malta, stop the rat race! Please come back to God! Turn back to the Lord Jesus who is the giver of forgiveness, hope and life. And… give our public places their rest, peace and encouragement back!