Come what may...

Calling all lovers... I watched one of my favorite love stories... again... over the weekend. Moulin Rouge. It is love story that speaks to me of the hope and redemptive power of love. Many people are tripped up by the setting "a French burlesque" or the music "redone 80's pop music"... and sadly they miss the story.

They miss the beautifully redemptive and powerful hopefulness of love. I think it should required pre-marital viewing. Within the story 3 characters represent the 3 arc of love.

(1) Love as Control as seen in Harold Zidler: Zidler runs the Moulin Rouge and his star Satine is truly his sparkling diamond. She has hopes of escaping the Moulin Rouge under-world and becoming a "real" actress. But Harold... greedy for a dollar... realizing that Satine brings in the money, manipulates and controls her to keep her right where she is. He lies and deceives her for his own end. His love for Satine is only for what she can give to him... and control is his mode of operation. Satine is his slave.

(2) Love as Lust as seen in The Duke: The Duke is the financial investor in the upcoming play "Spectacular, Spectacular". He can give Satine the life she always wanted...but for a price... her very life. If she accepts his offer of salvation from the underworld... she will be his love slave for life. His love for her is a lust for her beauty and her affection... which he buys. He will make her a star in return for her slavery to his lusts. He wants to buy Satine's freedom but only to function as a new slave owner.

(3) Love as Hope as seen in Christian: The bohemian, penniless writer Christian... falls in love with Satine. He sees within her a beauty that transcends the underworld and the Duke. He believes she should be owned by no man and stuck in no place and that she does not belong at the of ZidlerMoulin Rouge. He wants to set her free from her chains so that she can live a life of freedom. His love for her... is set in a hope that she can rise up and live the life that she is capable of. He is willing to risk his own life for the possibility of setting her free. His desire is to redeem her from slavery... and this hope is rooted in his love for her. His love is not perfect... yet it is not rooted in control or lust... but I suggest in hope.

This movie fails at many levels as a picture of truly redemptive love... for each character is largely self-motivated and flawed... and no character ever expresses any repentance. But it is a story about love and does illustrate the common flaws that motivate love.

Now consider... some more thoughts on love.

(a) We must first be loved in order to truly love others.
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

(b) True love is self-giving and full of hope for the other.
Love is patient, love is kind...
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4, 7