Fully Alive in God

  Bonnell, Baptism of the Christ M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Samuel 11:26–12:13ª; Ps. 51:1–13; Ephesians 4:1–16; St John 6:24–35)   We are living ‘neath the great big dipper We are washed by the very same rain We are swimming in this stream together Some in power and some in pain We can worship this ground we walk on Cherishing the beings that we live beside Loving spirits will live forever We’re all swimming to the other side This song, “Swimming to the Other Side,” by Pat Humphries, was our theme song at Camp Stevens this past week where I served as chaplain. It reminds me a lot of our reading from the Book of Ephesians today, and the invitation to both speak the truth and build each other up in love. The word αχιοσ in the first verse in Greek in the section from Ephesians refers to being in equilibrium with God’s call. When we maintain unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we are also finding a balance between what we feel like doing a...

  Bonnell, Bautizo del Cristo M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Samuel 11:26–12:13ª; Salmo 51:1–13; Efesios 4:1–16; San Juan 6:24–35) We are living ‘neath the great big dipper We are washed by the very same rain We are swimming in this stream together Some in power and some in pain Estas son algunas de las palabras de una canción que ocupamos la semana pasada en campamento en Camp Stevens donde serví como capellana. Habla de cuidar bien a las personas que nos acompañan porque todos estamos nadando hacia el otro lado de esta vida. Me hace pensar en las escrituras de hoy, y particularmente en la lectura de la Carta a los Efesios. Habla de apoyarnos uno al otro en amor y también de hablar la verdad en amor. En el primer versículo hay una palabra “ αχιοσ ” en griego que refiere a la necesidad de mantener un equilibrio entre la voluntad de uno y la voluntad de Dios, ambos individualmente y como una comunidad. Es muy claro en este pasaje que Jesús ha quitado el mur...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21 ) Por esta razón me pongo de rodillas delante del Padre, de quien recibe su nombre toda familia, tanto en el cielo como en la tierra. I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. And I offer these words to God, who welcomes us all, despite or because of our defects. Y ofrezco estas palabras a ti o Dios, quien nos reciba, a pesar de que (o posiblemente por qué) todos tenemos defectos. Why even is David in the Bible? ¿Porque es David en la biblia? Think for a moment about the first thing that comes to mind when you think of King David. Si son como yo, piensan en David y Goliat, o posiblemente David el salmista con su arpa. You may think of David and Goliath, or David and Jonathan, bosom friends and perhaps more. You may think of the psalmist. Unless you are a dedicated womanist scholar, chances are you try to forget abo...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Samuel 7:1–14ª; Psalm 89:20–37; Ephesians 2:11–22; St Mark 6:30–34, 53–56)   “… You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. … in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” I still remember the first Latino ministry conference I attended. We started in the morning and went until 9pm at night, sometimes later! I was amazed! I was trying to figure out when people rested. I was used to conferences with substantial breaks to go change or decompress in the room. Now, one cannot say that all Latinos are extroverted or that the various Latino cultures are the same. But watching “In the Heights” the other day reminded me that, in general, many Latino cultures are much more social by nature than my Euro-American culture of or...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Samuel 7:1–14ª; Salmo 89:20–37; Efesios 2:11–22; San Marcos 6:30–34, 53–56) “Por eso, ustedes ya no son extranjeros, ya no están fuera de su tierra, sino que ahora comparten con el pueblo santo los mismos derechos, y son miembros de la familia de Dios. Ustedes son como un edificio levantado sobre los fundamentos que son los apóstoles y los profetas, y Jesucristo mismo es la piedra principal. En Cristo, todo el edificio va levantándose en todas y cada una de sus partes, hasta llegar a ser, en el Señor, un templo santo.” Todavía recuerdo la primera conferencia de ministerio latino a la que asistí. Empezamos por la mañana y continuamos hasta las 9 de la noche, ¡a veces más tarde! ¡Estaba impresionada! Estaba tratando de averiguar cuándo descansaba la gente. Estaba acostumbrado a conferencias con descansos sustanciales para cambiarme o descomprimirme en la sala. Ahora bien, no se puede decir que todos los latinos son extrovertidos o ...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Samuel 6:1–5, 12b–19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3–14; St Mark 6:14–29)   Ps. 24:3-4a: Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? and who can stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and a pure heart…. Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, the psalmist says, are closest to God. But in the complicated world we live in, how can we have clean hands and a pure heart? We can do our best to make our outward actions in line with God’s love and mercy, but what about the shame that sometimes resides in our heart and holds us back? In the recent Disney movie “Luca,” we are introduced to a sea creature who meets a friend who lives on the island near his ocean home. He learns that when he gets out of the ocean and onto land, he looks like a human child. But he is afraid, because the humans in the town near the ocean fear and hunt sea creatures. His friend encourages him to be brave. First, they have an adventure trying to...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Samuel 6:1–5, 12b–19; Salmo 24; Efesios 1:3–14; San Marcos 6:14–29) ¿Quién subirá al monte del Señor? * Y ¿quién estará en su santo lugar? El limpio de manos, y puro de corazón… (Salmo 24:3-4a) Aquellos que tienen las manos limpias y un corazón puro, dice el salmista, son los más cercanos a Dios. Pero en el mundo complicado en el que vivimos, ¿cómo podemos tener las manos limpias y un corazón puro? Podemos hacer nuestro mejor esfuerzo para que nuestras acciones externas estén en consonancia con el amor y la misericordia de Dios, pero ¿qué pasa con la vergüenza que a veces reside en nuestro corazón y nos detiene? En la reciente película de Disney "Luca", se nos presenta a una criatura marina que conoce a un amigo que vive en la isla cerca de su hogar en el océano. Aprende que cuando sale del océano y llega a la tierra, parece un joven humano. Pero tiene miedo, porque los humanos en la ciudad cercana al océano temen y cazan...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13 ) Happy Fourth of July! Thank you for spending part of the holiday with us here at All Santos. Those of you who know me know there was a time when I didn’t celebrate Independence Day in the same way, because I lived in the United Kingdom until I was nine. In that ninth year, before moving to the US I got to attend a wonderful family event, my aunt and uncle’s wedding. I had a great time at the event, but (not to overshadow their nuptials) the afterparty at a pub led to one of the proudest moments of my young life. I judo flipped a much older cousin! In my party clothes. I know. You are all impressed. No, I wouldn’t dare do that now. In fact, it was not entirely appropriate then. But I couldn’t resist. You see, I had been taking judo lessons at my school in London. But I was just getting to know this new cousin who was a few years older than me and thought me of no co...