Fully Alive in God

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Judges 4, Ps. 123, 1 Thess 5, Matthew 25) Good morning! The kingdom of heaven is so much bigger than you can imagine! But if you were to try to imagine it, imagine a crazy rich guy who has to go away for a long, long time. He has a bunch of resources and he can’t take them with him, and he wants them to be used. So, he piles a bunch of them on one of his trusted people, and then keeps piling. This guy couldn’t amass what he is given, if he had to work over 75 years! Then the next guy gets the equivalent of sixty years’ worth of goods to reinvest and make grow, and so on, until he gets to the humble floor sweeper. See, this gal was bullied as a kid. She had a harsh stepdad. Her friends were only partly friends growing up, always trying to get something from her. So when she is given over fifteen years’ worth of wealth, she says, “nah, this has to be a trick.” I can’t do anything with that! I better bury it. Because then at least I wi...

  Presencia, no la perfección Propio 27 A, Mateo 25, 1 Tesalonicenses 4 San Pablo Emanuel, Santa Paula y All Santos, Oxnard   La Revda. Alene Campbell-Langdell Edición y traducción por la Revda. Melissa Campbell-Langdell   Hay un anhelo de formar una comunidad que perdura en los paisajes de hoy. Para la esperanza que va más allá de las limitaciones de nuestro momento. Por ejemplo, los Tesalonicenses son parte de una cultura griega. Los que estaban inmersos en la mitología greca sabían que, en esa cultura anciana, los que murieron entraron un lugar de donde nadie regresa. Tal vez han visto la película “The Odyssey,” o recuerden el mito de Orfeo y Eurídice. Este mito dramatiza el dolor de la separación con nuestros seres queridos que han fallecido. En esta historia, Orfeo va a Hades para recoger a Eurídice. Orfeo es un musico talentoso, con un don tan fuerte que hasta los dioses se fascinan con él. Pero ni siquiera Orfeo puede recogerla a Eurídice, porque en u...

  Presence, not Perfection Proper 27A, Matthew 25, 1 Thessalonians 4 St Paul’s Emmanuel, Santa Paula and All Santos, Oxnard The Rev. Alene Campbell-Langdell Ed. By The Very Rev. Melissa Campbell-Langdell There’s a hunger in our passages today for community that will last. For hope beyond the limitations of our moment.   For example, the Thessalonians are part of Greek society.   For those immersed in Greek mythology, those who die enter a realm from which no one returns.   You may be familiar with the myth of Orpheus and Euridice. It dramatizes the pain of separation with our loved ones who have died. In the story, Orpheus goes to Hades to fetch back Eurydice. Orpheus is gifted with a tremendous musical talent, one that enthralls even the gods, but not even Orpheus was successful in bringing his beloved back from the dead.   For the ancient Greeks, there was no one whose trust and love was perfect enough to cross that river backwards. For these new Chri...

  Blessed/Dichosos M. Campbell-Langdell All Saints Sunday/ Domingo de Todos los Santos, 2026 (Rev./Apoc. 7, Ps/S. 34, 1 San Juan/John 3, Mateo/Matthew 5) When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. » Dichosos los que tienen hambre y sed de la justicia, porque serán satisfechos. » Dichosos los compasivos, porque Dios tendrá compasión de ellos. » Dichosos los de corazón limpio, porque verán a Dios. (De Mateo 5) Good morning, everyone! ¡Buenos días! Today we celebrate All Saints Sunday, our special feast day. Es el domingo de nuestra fiesta patronal, y hoy celebramos a todos los santos y nuestros santos difuntos, anticipando mañana el Dia de los Muertos . We also honor our...

The Rev. Dr. Joel Chan All Santos, Oxnard Proper 25 A + 10.25.26 Scripture readings: Deuteronomy 34:1–12; Psalm 90:1–6, 13–17; 1 Thessalonians 2:1–8; Matthew 22:34–46. At our latest Welcome Table gathering several nights ago, I sat next to an attendee who said, “You cannot love God without loving others!” The comment was in reference to the rejection her niece experienced from her mother when the niece came out. Although the attendee was talking about her niece’s specific situation, she was articulating a common disconnection. Even though we Christians all consider ourselves loving and God-fearing people, we forget sometimes that loving God means loving others. They are inseparable ways of acting and being. However, we all seem to forget this Truth – I will call it a truth. To address this, I want to offer a way that could make it easier for us Christians to remember this Truth. I offer a technique that could help us internalize and reflexively remember: “That we cannot love ...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Exodus 32:1–14; Ps. 106:1–6, 19–23; Phil. 4:1–9; Matthew 22:1–14) Do you remember the film “Wayne’s World” (1992) from the 1990s? It is beautifully silly and very profane at times. But many of you might remember its refrain: “Party on, Garth. Party on, Wayne!” I think this parable might be teaching us a thing or two about how to party on. But let’s talk about that parable. Ah, the parable of the wedding feast. So beautiful and thorny at once.   Everyone is welcome. But if you aren’t wearing the right shirt, you are tossed into howling darkness. Uh, Matthew, when did you go nutso? How do we make sense of this? To me, this parable raises two big questions. One is about who we invite to the table, be it a wedding feast, or a church. But another is about how we respond when we are invited to the table, and how do we interact with the other guests. The wedding feast is both a parable for the ways of God’s kingdom but is also ...