What does “我愿意” (I do) mean to you? Have you ever heard this phrase at a proposal or a wedding? Have you ever been moved by it?
Once at a wedding, I saw a bridegroom tearing up as soon as the pastor started reading out the vows. He progressively started crying more and more, to the point that he could barely squeeze out any words from his mouth.
I was surprised because I have known the bridegroom for a few years and I rarely see him cry. But I soon realised that it was such a moving moment, and it must have been so much more moving for the bridegroom.
That moment was moving because of the meaning behind those words. It was a commitment – one to love and be loved.
爱我愿意 carries the same heart: it is an invitation to bring our loved ones to hear the Good News of love, and hopefully to see them make the commitment to love and be loved.
Annette Lee told me, “爱我愿意 means loving someone despite their weakness and imperfections, just as God first loved us wholeheartedly despite our flaws.”
Indeed, we do this because there was a Man who first came to make that commitment to all of us more than 2,000 years ago. He came to love and be loved, and He embodied the greatest love of all times.
Jesus. He came to die for our sins and rise from the grave so that we can be saved, forgiven and redeemed.
He first said “I do” to dying on the cross. That’s why we can say “I do” to entering into a relationship with him and having a new life in Him.
This year, are you willing to bring your family and friends to receive the same invitation from Him, so that they can respond with the same “I do”?
Can you imagine the joy you would feel when you get to witness them say “I do”?
As one of the special guests of the concert, Charlie Goh shared his hope for those attending the concert as well.
“I hope that through the sharing, people will know that we are all broken people who need Jesus. God loves every one of us the same.”
In this time and age where many are searching for answers and for love, what good news it is to know that there is a love that is unconditional and unchanging regardless of what we have done and where we came from!
This Christmas, as we remember this love that we have first been given, let us also bring those around us to receive this love and look forward to seeing our loved ones receive the greatest gift of all.
