Reliving the same day over and over can change a person. But Phil, the epitome of narcissism, resists doing so for a very long time. Early on, he decides he will seduce Rita, his producer, by pretending to be her ideal man. In the scene where he first asks what she wants in a man, she list several attributes and he comments on each.
It goes something like this: someone who is humble ("Me"), kind ("Also me"), generous, courageous, and sensitive ("Me, me, and me"); someone who likes children and is not afraid to change a poopy diaper ("Does he have to use the word poopy?"); someone who loves his mother and plays a musical instrument ("I am really close on this one; really, really close.").
I don't know about you, but I found myself wondering if I could live up to Rita's high standards. I felt the same way when I finished reading Psalm 15 in this week's Lectionary passages, too. The list there is also pretty daunting:
“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.”
(Psalm 15:1-5 NIV, http://bible.com/111/psa.15.1-5.niv)
Blameless, righteous, speaks the truth, does not slander, does no wrong, casts no slurs, despises the vile, honors those who fear the Lord, keeps an oath even when it hurts ("oof!"), doesn't change their mind, lends to the poor (!) without charging interest (!), accepts no bribes. At first, as I skimmed the passage, I found myself thinking, "Me ... me ... also me." But as I slowed down to really let those qualities sink in, I realized I could not live up to most of them or had in the past acted contrary to them.
In fact, if Psalm 15 was a job posting, I would not apply. At the office, one colleague used to point out that, for some job postings, management already had their eye on someone for the position. He called these NONA jobs ... NONA being an acronym for "No One Need Apply." Psalm 15 seems like it may have always been a NONA job.
If any of us had to do all that to dwell with the Lord, we would never qualify.
But then I recalled there was one person who could answer positively to all of those: blameless, righteous, truthful, sinless, steadfast, gave freely without expecting repayment, could not be bribed, did not slander or cast slurs, despised the vile, honored those who feared the Lord, and kept his promise even unto death. And when Jesus ---the one person who could claim all these qualities--- went to the cross, his death and resurrection opened the way for all of us to live on the holy mountain, to dwell in the sacred tent.
Without him, no one need apply.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/
Proper 11 (16) (July 17, 2016)
Amos 8:1-12
Psalm 52
Genesis 18:1-10a
Psalm 15
Colossians 1:15-28
Luke 10:38-42
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Join us on Friday mornings for Lectionary Breakfast. We start at 8:00, and continue for an hour like no other. The food at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant is tasty, but it pales compared to the fellowship and illumination we share that hour. I hope you can be with us. No one need apply ... just come.
Blessings,
Steve
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