Fully Alive in God

(http://toddstocker.wordpress.com/2013/12/25/pondering/) M. Campbell-Langdell+ All Santos, Oxnard ( Isaías 62:6–12; Salmo 97; Tito 3:4–7; Lucas 2: (1–7), 8–20) They shall be called, "The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD"; y a Jerusalén, «La ciudad deseada», «La ciudad no abandonada» . Jerusalem and Israel are not forsaken. After the period of exile, there may be much work to do, but God promises Israel return and redemption. En el pasaje de hoy del profeta Isaías, Israel ha sufrido exilio y hay mucho que hacer para reconstruir su cuidad de Jerusalén, pero Dios promete que no estarán abandonados. [1] Israel is not forsaken, and neither are Joseph and Mary, that poor couple who couldn’t even find a room at the inn. Y Jose y María, la pobre pareja que ni pudo encontrar una posada. Ellos no están abandonados, pero Dios los busca en forma de unos pastores. Mary and Joseph are not abandoned but are sought out, for their Christ-child, by shepherds, and t

John August Swanson (johnaugustswanson.com) M. Campbell-Langdell+ All Santos, Oxnard (Isaías 9:2–7 (= 9:1–6 DHH); Salmo 96; Tito 2:11–14; Lucas 2:1–14, (15–20)) Imaginen el escenario conmigo. Imagine the scene with me, if you will. It is dark. They are bone-tired. Posiblemente la dulce María está bien enojada con Jose, porque él esta llevándola, encinta, por cerca de cien millas desde Nazaret a Belén. They are almost to the end of their journey, having traversed almost 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It has taken several days. Por días él ha estado caminando, con ella montada en su burro. This is no vacation, folks. Ellos no están tomando una vacación . And really in her gentle heart Mary knows that it is Caesar they have to thank for this not so great road trip. Este es el Cesar de quien dicen “bajo el reino de [Cesar] Agosto, el simple nombre de Roma significaba riqueza, poder y la autoridad.” [1] They didn’t have a choice. They had to come to the city . María y

M. Campbell-Langdell+                                                                                                                                                                            All Santos, Oxnard (Is. 61:1-4, 8-11; Magnificat (Luke 1:46b-55); 1 Thess. 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28) Around this time of year one year when I was in middle school, our music teacher had my class sing a Jewish song, commonly sung by Peter, Paul and Mary.  The refrain goes like this: “Don't let the light go out. It's lasted for so many years. Don't let the light go out. Let it shine through our love and our tears.” [1] This year, a friend pointed out that the eight days of Hanukah coincide with the Posadas, the nine days beginning December 16 th that lead up to Christmas. Hanukah is the Jewish religious festival that commemorates both the Maccabean victory that restored the temple and Jewish identity to the Jews and the miracle that the oil of the temple lasted for ei

M. Campbell-Langdell+ All Santos, Oxnard (Is. 61:1-4, 8-11; Magnificat (Luke 1:46b-55); 1 Tes. 5:16-24; Juan 1:6-8, 19-28) Alrededor de esta época del año, un año que estaba yo en la escuela secundaria, nuestra maestra de música nos ense ñó cantar esta canción de la tradición judía, una cantada por el grupo Peter, Paul and Mary. El refrán va así: “Don't let the light go out. It's lasted for so many years. Don't let the light go out. Let it shine through our love and our tears.” [1] Quiere decir que no debemos dejar que la luz se apague por que ha lucido por a ñ os, por nuestro amor y por nuestras lágrimas. Es de la fiesta de Hanukah de los judíos, que celebra la victoria militaría de los macabeos y la reclamación del templo y la identidad judía, y en la que el óleo en el templo no se apag ó por ocho días, lo que pareció un milagro. Esto pasó en medio de un asedio durante el periodo de los macabeos. La fiesta recuerda la bondad del Señor y la esperanza que e

(Eric Valentine, http://blog.praisephotography.com/2013/12/the-prophet-isaiah-gives-us-hope.html) M. Campbell-Langdell+ All Santos, Oxnard (Is. 40:1-11; Ps. 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 nd Pet. 3:8-15a; St Mk 1:1-8) I had a rough childhood and early adolescence. So I know a bit about what it is like to feel like you are going through a time so rough you don’t know if you will ever get out of it. I was a headstrong and bookish child, not a winning combination for making tons of friends, and had just a few good friends in England, but moving to the US did not help. I was different in that my accent and my culture were all British, and that made me seem very cool to the older kids and just plain weird to the ones who were my age. It was hard to make friends and some were ostracized if they tried to be my friend. So I had it pretty rough for my first couple of years in the United States. I felt like I was not in a promised land but in a sort of exile. But somehow, despite the fact th

(Eric Valentine, http://blog.praisephotography.com/2013/12/the-prophet-isaiah-gives-us-hope.html) M. Campbell-Langdell+ All Santos, Oxnard (Is. 40:1-11; Ps. 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 nd Pet. 3:8-15a; St Mk 1:1-8) Tuve una niñez y una adolescencia un poco difícil. Así que conozco un poco de lo que es sentir como si estuviera pasando por un tiempo tan difícil que no supiera si realmente vaya a pasar hasta el otro lado. From my childhood I know a bit about what it is like to feel like you are going through a time so rough you don’t know if you will ever get out of it. Fui una niña obstinada y libresca, no una combinación para hacer muy fácilmente los amigos. Y en Inglaterra tuve solamente un par de amigas buenas. Pero fue peor cuando mud é a los EEUU. Fui bien diferente y en esos tiempos mi acento y mi cultura ambos fueron bien Británicos, lo que me hizo parecer muy interesante a los jóvenes mayores que yo pero bien extraña a los de mi propia edad. Fue bien difícil hacer amigos, y a