Fully Alive in God

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (2 Reyes/ 2 Kings 5:1–14; Salmo/Ps. 30; Gál/Gal. 6:(1–6), 7–16; San Lucas/ Luke 10:1–11, 16–20)   Earlier this week, Pastor Alene and I watched a movie from twenty years ago- “A Day Without a Mexican (2004).” Muchos han estado viendo esta película que es lo que se llama un “mockumentary” en que muestra lo devastado seria California sin la gente que trabaja aquí de descendencia Latine. As the mockumentary points out, Latinos (broadly brushed here as Mexicans because sometimes other people can’t tell the difference between different groups of Latinos) are vital to our state life and economy. Mas que lo económico, la gente Latina forma parte del alma del estado y sus culturas son parte de lo que nos da vida y vibración. In the movie, not only are the economic impacts considered, but also the social and emotional life of the state. At one point, there is one supposedly Mexica...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Saints, Oxnard ( 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; Galatians 5:1,13-25; Luke 9:51-62 ) Good morning! Thank you for welcoming me back and for your support of my time of rest and renewal during my sabbatical this past six weeks. It was not only a time of refreshment, but also a time to dig into my academic project. I am much closer to a working draft on best practices for Intercultural Ministry. I hope the visiting preachers inspired you and a special thank you to the preachers from our congregation who also participated. Please know that I have been praying for the whole community, especially in light of all the recent events related to ICE raids and more. During part of this time, I also got to travel. Pastor Alene and I traveled to Costa Rica for ten days, and the first week was spent in a retreat center in the beach town of Nosara, on the West side of the country. After arriving in town over some tremendously bumpy roads (turns out the ...

  M. Campbell-Langdell Todos los Santos, Oxnard ( 2 Reyes 2:1-2, 6-14; Salmo 77:1-2, 11-20; Galatas 5:1,13-25; Lucas 9:51-62 )   ¡Buenos días! Muchas gracias por darme la bienvenida de regreso y apoyar mi tiempo de descanso y renovación durante mi tiempo de sabático estas seis semanas pasadas. Fue no solo un tiempo de refrescar mi Espíritu, pero también trabaje en mi proyecto sobre las mejores prácticas para el ministerio Intercultural. Espero que los predicadores que vinieron de visita los inspiraron y gracias por los predicadores de la congregación que participaron también. Favor de saber que he estado en oración por toda la comunidad, especialmente en luz de los eventos recientes con la actividad de ICE y más. Durante parte de este tiempo yo viajaba. Pastora Alene y yo fuimos a Costa Rica para diez días, y la primera semana quedamos en un centro de retiro en Nosara, al lado del mar Pacifico en el Oeste del país. Después de llegar al pueblo, pasando por unas call...

  M. and A. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard/ St. Paul’s-Emmanuel, Santa Paula (Acts 9:46-43, Ps. 23, Rev. 7:9-17, Jn. 10:22-30) Musician Bobby McFerrin’s version (1990) of “the 23 rd Psalm” images God as a woman: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, She makes me lie down in green meadows, Beside the still waters, She will lead.” And perhaps connecting with God as Mother is nowhere more fitting or more problematic than when we celebrate Mother’s Day. Often our mothers share love with us that transcends barriers. Many times, they are our original sense of safety. But many times, our mothers pass on complicated tapes about living in the world. After all, those of us who are parents know that we are just broken humans trying to help other humans survive in this world even as we long for a better one. It is therefore not without irony on Mother’s Day to think of God making us to lie down in green meadows. Our experience of our human mothers may be accompanied...

M. and A. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard/ St. Paul’s-Emmanuel, Santa Paula (Hechos 9:46-43, S. 23, Rev. 7:9-17, Jn. 10:22-30) El m ú sico Bobby McFerrin interpret ó el Salmo 23 en inglés (1990), con una imagen de la Madre Dios: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need, She makes me lie down in green meadows, Beside the still waters, She will lead.” En español El Señor es mi pastor; * nada me faltará. En verdes pastos Ella me hace yacer; Ella me conduce hacia aguas tranquilas. Feliz día de la madre en los EEUU y feliz día un poco tarde para las madres de México otras partes. Hoy en día es natural que pensamos en la Virgen o hasta en el aspecto femenino de Dios. Pero también nosotras que somos madres – biológicas, adoptivas, madrinas, tías o de otra forma, sabemos que ninguna madre es perfecta como Dios. Tratamos que mostrar el amor expansivo de Dios con nuestros hijos e hijas, pero somos personas limitadas y a veces fallamos. Solo esperemos que nuestros hij...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Acts 9:1-6, (7-20) ; Psalm 30 ; Revelation 5:11-14 ; John 21:1-19 )   When I was nine years old, my family moved from London in the United Kingdom to the Pasadena area here in California, USA.   My life changed drastically. Everything was different. Monthly Sunday dinners with grandma and grandpa in Oxfordshire were replaced by monthly visits to grandma overlooking the beach in San Clemente, spending hours in the car but always worth it for that sea air and family time. From learning French in school, I went to Spanish and that began a life-long love affair with the Spanish language and with various Latin-American cultures. You might say it was a life-quake, a moment wherein my life changed drastically. The path in front of me changed and I was forever put in a new direction. Cuando tenía nueve años, mi familia mud ó de Londres, Inglaterra al área de Pasadena aquí en California. Mi vida cambi ó por completo. Todo fue...

    M. Campbell-Langdell (1 Cor 15, Luke 24) Gospel group Sweet Honey in the Rock’s song “I Remember, I Believe” reflects on the resilience of people of African American descent. It begins: “I don’t know how my mother walked her trouble down I don’t know how my father stood his ground I don’t know how my people survived slavery I do remember, that’s why I believe.” This is a resurrection song. It also echoes Israel’s history of coming out of slavery. Later it says: “I don’t know how the blood still runs thru my veins I don’t know how I rate to run another day Standing in a rainstorm I believe” [1] I remember, that’s why I believe. Isn’t that just like Easter? We don’t know how Jesus came back to life, but he did. It boggles our mind. But his coming back to life fills us all with a little more hope. We remember, and that’s why we believe. This week I heard that the goal of preaching is to help each other remember Jesus’ words. When we do it well, we...