This has got to be my favourite scene from the movie “Love Actually”. For those of you who have not caught the movie, this portion goes something like this. The dude (Mark, played by Andrew Lincoln) in the picture, is in love with the girl (Juliet, played by Keira Knightley). The only problem is that she is already married to his best friend.

So there’s this earlier scene where Juliet wants to have a look at her wedding video, and thus goes to Mark’s house to take it since he filmed it. He refuses and denies that he has the video, and when she finally finds it and puts it into the video player, she realises that the video was shot entirely of her (kinda crazy stalkerish hahaha). Of course Juliet then realises that Mark likes her, and that causes him to leave the house to avoid the awkwardness.

But I digress. Back to the scene in the picture! So basically this scene was one where Mark goes to Juliet’s house, and he has a message for her (about his unrequited love for her - catch the whole thing at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2T5yfgsZ0), all written out on these boards which he flashes to her, while “Silent Night” plays in the background just because it’s Christmas. And yes, one of the cards read “To me, you are perfect”.

Romantic yes, truth? Doubtful. How many of us can really mean it when we tell a loved that he/she is perfect? Personally I don’t think I would be able to do so, without having to suppress that part of me that wishes the person was just a little bit different. And that I suppose is the human condition, our wounded ability to love fully and freely.

But then imagine this, imagine Jesus holding that exact same card with the words “To me, you are perfect”. Plausible? Yes. No let me correct myself, not even plausible, DEFINITE. Would you have the slightest doubt about the sincerity of the words He has used? I know I wouldn’t. And this is the truth of the Gospel, He loves us for who we are, what we’ve done and will do, and who we will become. He loves us with an everlasting love, and only He is able to look past every single deficiency and fault, because to Him WE ARE PERFECT. It is precisely our deficiencies that make us perfect in His eyes, and this is why His love is so crazily out of the world. It is as crazy as what Mark did for Juliet, despite knowing that it wouldn’t have changed anything since it was a case of unrequited love.

You know what’s the best part? At the end of the scene Mark walks away from Juliet saying, “Enough, enough now”, but Jesus will never ever do that. It is never enough for Him! No matter how many times we slam the door on Him, refuse to open the door for Him, push Him away or reject His message, He continues to stand there with His card that says “To me, you are perfect”.

Love Actually, is this:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life

- John 3:16