The classic 1951 movie The African Queen tells the story of Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart), a hard-drinker who runs a small steamboat through the shallow rivers of East Africa in the early 1900s bringing dynamite, gin, supplies, and tools to European speculators and miners. He also carries the mail to Rosie (Katherine Hepburn), a missionary. When WWI breaks out and the Germans burn Rosie's home and church, the British missionary and the Canadian boatman flee in the African Queen.

They soon determine that their destination will be a large lake downriver where they hope to do their part in the Allied war effort by blowing up a German destroyer.

At least that is Rosie's hope. Charlie's motive is more to please Rosie than to blow up the destroyer, because he believes that is an impossible mission. He assures her that before they can ever reach the lake and the German destroyer "it's sure death a dozen times over down this river."

And he's right. On the river they face one danger after another. Swarms of insects attack. As they pass a German-held fort, bullets whiz by them. They fight rapids that bang up the bottom of their boat and disable them for days.

With a lot of moxie they survive these tests, and along the way a full-blown romance blossoms between the two. They grow tender toward one another and express acts of kindness and service. Cups of tea and meals are offered. Dangerous underwater repairs on the boat are begun by Charlie and then joined in by Rosie.

Finally the point comes where their sacrificial love for each other meets its most difficult test.

(Now, I need to prepare you. The scene that follows is not for the squeamish, because it includes leeches. It's creepy, but don't worry, it's not too creepy for me to tell. I realize this illustration could distract you so much that you will remember nothing from my sermon but this. I want to take that risk because my hope is that it will help you see and understand and never forget the biblical point of my message. If it accomplishes that, it's worth a few temporary squirms.)

The river dissipates and splits into a hundred streams. The African Queen bogs down in a marsh. With no current to push them along, Charlie and Rosie use poles to push the boat forward, and eventually Charlie has to get out of the boat and wade the shallows pulling the boat by a rope as Rosie rides. He is chest deep in water. Finally he climbs back into the boat unaware of what has happened to him. Rosie sees his back and screams. Several 3-inch long leeches are attached to his skin.

Charlie shudders and panics and pulls off his shirt to find a dozen leeches attached to his chest and back, as well as his legs. Rosie grabs a box of salt and pours it on the leeches to cause them to release their suction hold on Charlie's skin, and then together they quickly pluck the leeches from his skin. The crisis over, Charlie and Rosie stand shuddering and "Oooooooooooing" in revulsion repeatedly.

"If there's anythin' I hate in this world it's leeches—filthy devils," Charlie declares.

When they've collected themselves, Charlie grabs a pole and tries to push the boat forward. The effort is futile. Charlie and Rosie look grimly at each other. After a few moments, without a word Charlie turns, climbs over the side into the dark water, and resumes pulling the African Queen through the shallows. Before long, Rosie has joined him in the water and is cutting a path through the reeds with a machete.

Moral application: Love, whether it is romantic love between a man and a woman, or the love of friends and family and Christians one for another, has its easy side and its enjoyable side; but when necessary, true love also has a sacrificial side, a painful, difficult, courageous side that tests whether we love others as much or more than we love ourselves.

It may be holding down a difficult job that provides for your family. It may be giving up your discretionary time to care for a physically debilitated person. It may be showing tough love to someone with a self-destructive addiction. It may be serving the people of your church by cleaning the toilets in the church's building for thirty years. It's hard, but it's true love.

Gospel application: Love that gets back in the water to resume pulling the boat is the sort of sacrificial, strong, courageous love that Jesus Christ expressed to us.

Scene 13, 1:13:45-1:20:07