“Please come in! We welcome you in. There’s love in my home because of you,” goes the catchy chorus of this year’s original Chinese New Year song by Christian music ministry Sowers Music.

Titled 吾家有愛因為你 Love Comes Home, the song and music video depict the joy of hospitality and the warmth of friendship against the backdrop of the Lunar New Year festivities.

Love is meant to be given away

Pastor Matthew L Tan, who wrote the lyrics and melody of the song, told Salt&Light that he was inspired by his own experience of hospitality and the love that it has brought to his family.

For the past two decades (barring the pandemic years), he, his wife and their two daughters have invited foreigners to join them for their reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year.

“We realised that this is a very impactful act of love and warmth for our guests because reunion dinners are usually reserved for family only,” said Pastor Matthew, who has been writing Chinese New Year songs with a Christian slant since 2016.

They find their guests by asking friends who own businesses if any of their foreign staff members are unable to return home, or by reaching out to universities.

His family hosts about two to three guests each year and even gifts them little goody bags that include oranges, an ang bao (red packet), some bakwa (barbecued pork) and Gospel tracts. They also pay for their guests’ private transport to and from their home.

During dinner, the Tans and their guests eat, chat and share many light moments. They exchange stories about their lives and the Tans share openly about God’s goodness to them.

Pastor Matthew shared that one of his past guests wrote him a note saying that he felt touched and loved, as Pastor Matthew was the first “outsider” who had invited him for a reunion dinner.

Another guest continued to keep in touch with him after she had returned to her home country. Pastor Matthew later found out that she had accepted Christ and was attending a church regularly. 

“Love is not for us to keep to ourselves, but to give away. When we invite others into our home, we experience more love,” he said.

Here’s how to open your home

The theme of hospitality in this year’s Chinese New Year song is also in line with a campaign by evangelistic movement One For Jesus that encourages believers to open up their homes to others on festive occasions throughout the year, said Pastor Matthew, who heads the Chinese arm of the movement.

He offered some tips on how you can start your journey of hospitality:

• Not sure who to invite? Consider those you come across on a day-to-day basis, such as your colleagues or the cleaners in your estate.
• Don’t be too eager to share Christ with them, which can rub people off the wrong way. Build genuine relationships with your guests and truly get to know them first.
• To get conversations rolling, look out for resources like this 16-minute Chinese New Year short film or this conversation starter kit that can help people to open up and share their thoughts.
• When it’s your turn to share, be open about your own testimony and experience of God’s goodness in your life.

Highlighting God’s command to extend hospitality to all, especially the foreigners in our land, Pastor Matthew said: “We hope that inviting guests can be an ongoing thing in all our homes.”

Catch the full music video here:

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