Fully Alive in God

( https://listas.20minutos.es/lista/hermosos- poemas-de-navidad-390674/ ) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard Christmas / Navidad (II) + 12.25.18 ( Isaías/Isaiah 62:6–12; S/Ps. 97; Tito/Titus 3:4–7; Lucas/ Luke 2:(1–7), 8–20) « ¡Gloria a Dios en las alturas! ¡Paz en la tierra entre los hombres que gozan de su favor!» "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" What was happening in that moment, that glorious moment when a son was being born who would be the Sun to shine in our darkness? ¿Qué estaba pasando en aquel momento cuando nació un niño que iba a ser el Sol para iluminar a nuestra oscuridad? Un autor y sacerdote, Joaquín Peñalosa describe ese momento como el momento de romper una piñata. Peñalosa, a priest and poet, describes this moment as if it was the breaking open of a piñata by the angels. To give you a bit of background, I recently learned that the piñata has a lot of symbolism. Traditionally ...

(https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/ 82466-the-grinch-vector-hand) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard Christmas Eve (Christmas 1 Readings) 12.21.18 ( Isaiah 9:2-7 ; Titus 2:11-14 ; Luke 2:1-14(15-20) ; Psalm 96 ) Who here got to see “The Grinch” yet this season? ¿Quién ha visto la película “The Grinch” esta temporada? In it, what does the Grinch do? (Steals Christmas) En la película, ¿Qué hace el Grinch? (Roba la Navidad) And how does the Grinch think that people will respond? Y ¿cómo piensa el Grinch que la gente van a responder? Indeed! I am going to read an excerpt of the story for those who may not have heard it. Voy a leer un poquito del cuento: “It was quarter of dawn. All the Whos still a-bed, All the Whos still a-snooze, when he packed up his sled, Packed it up with their presents, their ribbons, their wrappings, Their snoof and their fuzzles, their tringlers and trappings! Ten thousand feet up, up the side of Mount Crumpet, He rode with ...

M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos , Oxnard ( Zephaniah 3:14-20 ; Philippians 4:4-7 ; Luke 3:7-18 ; Canticle 9 ) “... with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” Good news! That is what John was trying to share with the people! What, did you miss it in the middle of him yelling at us? I wonder why :). Truly, John is out at the margins, telling people to amend their lives. Challenging them to the way of love even as he questions their motives- don't just do this to flee God's wrath, he says. The truth is we know that the day of wrath is also the day of the Lord- when our Messiah will come again. So this is fearful stuff. We have to amend our lives. John 's instructions here remind me of the instructions you find in the Acts of Hippolytus, an early Christian text, wherein new Christians are advised what professions they can do and still follow Christ . In those days actors for example could not easily live a Christian life. So th...

La Pregunta Milagrosa Sofonías 3, Isaías 12, Filipenses 4, Lucas 3 Iglesia de San Andrés, Ojai La Rvda. Alene Campbell-Langdell                 En las primeras semanas de Adviento, nuestros ojos mentales están llenados con imágenes grandes.  En medio de promesas sobre un descendiente de David que “establecerá la justicia y la rectitud en el país” (Jeremías 33:15),  también oímos que en ese día, “La gente se desmayará de miedo al pensar en lo que va a sucederle al mundo; pues hasta las fuerzas celestiales serán sacudidas” (San Lucas 21:26).  Hay un hombre en el desierto proclamando cosas extrañas: “Todo valle será rellenado, todo cerro y colina será nivelado, los caminos torcidos serán enderezados, y allanados los caminos disparejos” (Lucas 3:5).  Estos son proclamaciones, profecías, de que todo que conocemos como normal será cambiado.  ¿Una persona con poder política que actúa ...

M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Baruch 5:1–9; Canticle 16; Philippians 1:3–11; St Luke 3:1–6) “For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.” (Baruch 5:7) I have not yet made it to the Holy Land. That is in my sabbatical plans for next year. However I have heard that the region of that part of the Middle East has extremely rough terrain. We are not talking huge mountains all the time but just enough hills and rocky ground in the wilderness areas to make it rough going. And the heat, scorching! So that those attempting to journey always fear the heat and the unforgiving terrain. These words, spoken to a people in exile, are a source of hope. A promise that God will not only bring them back home, but that God will bring them home in such a way that they will be kept safe from heat and God will even miraculously make their way...

M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Baruc 5:1–9; Cántico 9; Filipenses 1:3–11; San Lucas 3:1–6) “Dios ha ordenado que se aplanen los altos montes y las colinas eternas, que las cañadas se rellenen y la tierra quede plana, para que Israel pase por ellos tranquilamente, guiado por la gloria de Dios.” (Baruc 5:7) Todavía no he ido a la Tierra Santa. Es parte de mi plan para mi tiempo sabático en el año nuevo. Pero he escuchado un poco sobre el terreno en esa región del Medio Este. Escucho que es un terreno muy duro, no necesariamente montanas grandes pero muchas colinas y valles y muchas piedras. Y un calor profundo en ciertos tiempos del a ñ o que le hace a uno muy difícil hacer el camino. Estas palabras de Baruc fueron dichos a un pueblo en exilio como una fuente de esperanza. Una promesa que Dios los devolverá a casa, y no solo lo hará, pero lo hará de una forma en que estarán protegidos del calor. Aun milagrosamente el haría plano su camino. Dios guiar á s...

M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-13 (14-19); Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37 ) Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37) And later, “What is truth?” In this, one of the most dramatic moments of scripture, we see two people facing each other. In a sense, what they are each sharing is so iconic, it almost doesn’t matter the kind of men – indeed people- they are. They represent two different paradigms. Pilate, of the Roman hierarchy, a wielder of power and a confident decision maker, for whom authority looks like might, and sometimes like violence. Jesus, a seemingly humble Jew, a rabbi or teacher, a vagabond, who represents none of the ideas Pilate has around power.   What is truth? What is power? But Pilate sees power in Jesus. He smells it...

M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Salmo 132:1-13 (14-19); Revelacion 1:4b-8; Juan 18:33-37 ) Le preguntó entonces Pilato: — ¿Así que tú eres rey? Jesús le contestó: —Tú lo has dicho: soy rey. Yo nací y vine al mundo para decir lo que es la verdad. Y todos los que pertenecen a la verdad, me escuchan. (Juan 18:37) En esto, uno de los momentos más dramáticos de las sagradas escrituras, vemos a dos individuos en una reunión. Lo que comparten es tan icónico que en este momento casi no importan sus trasfondos específicos, es más que representan Jesús y Piloto dos diferentes paradigmas. Pilato viene de la jerarquía romana y el maneja el poder bien. Hace decisiones fuertes, y para él la autoridad se parece mucho la fuerza, y a veces a la violencia. Jesús, que parece un judío humilde, es un rabino o un maestro de la ley. Es un vagabundo quien representa ideas completamente distintas a las que Pilato tiene sobre el poder. What is truth? What is powe...