Fully Alive in God

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard Matthew 21:1-11 Ride on, King Jesus! In today’s readings, we have Jesus, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and a colt, something that sounds a bit more acrobatic, with palms strewn along his path and Hosannas sailing up to the sky. The people were desperate. And here came a savior. Desperate like us in a year of war, when leaders seem to be crumbling around us, even as we look hopefully, praying for the end of this moment, we are still hanging on, some of us by the skin of our teeth. And what greets us, but more violence? And what greeted Jesus, but more violence? The shouts of the crowd turned from praises and requests for assistance to “Crucify him!” Because it is important to remember that Hosanna isn’t just a word of praise, it is also a request for help. As Steve Garnaas-Holmes says: “Hosanna” doesn’t mean “Hooray!” It means “Save us!” It’s not a cry of triumph, It’s a plea of desperation. Of course, aimed at a leade...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard Mateo 21:1-11 ¡Sigue cabalgando, Rey Jesús! En las lecturas de hoy, vemos a Jesús entrando en Jerusalén montado en un asno y un pollino —algo que suena un tanto acrobático—, con palmas esparcidas a su paso y hosannas elevándose hacia el cielo. El pueblo estaba desesperado. Y he aquí que llegaba un salvador. Desesperados, tal como nosotros en este año de guerra, cuando los líderes parecen desmoronarse a nuestro alrededor; aun mientras miramos con esperanza, rezando por el fin de este momento, seguimos resistiendo —algunos de nosotros, por los pelos—. ¿Y qué es lo que nos recibe sino más violencia? ¿Y qué recibió a Jesús, sino más violencia? Los gritos de la multitud pasaron de ser alabanzas y peticiones de auxilio a un rotundo: «¡Crucifíquenlo!». Porque es importante recordar que «Hosanna» no es solo una palabra de alabanza; también es una petición de ayuda. Como dice Steve Garnaas-Holmes (traducido): «Hosanna» no significa «¡H...

  Nada nos puede separar Cuaresma 5 A, 2026 All Santos, Oxnard La Revda. Alene Campbell-Langdell (trad. MCL) Las lecturas de hoy pueden parecer más apropiadas para el Halloween que para la Cuaresma. Tenemos un valle con huesos que hacen clic-clac mientras se unen de nuevo, con esqueletos que se cubren de piel y, después de un mandamiento final de un profeta, hay un respiro colectivo mientras todos se ponen de pie, vivos de nuevo. Y en el evangelio tenemos lo que parece un momio que sale de la tumba, mientras que Jesús ignora la advertencia de su familia de que él apesta. ¿Así que debemos pensar en estas imágenes tan gráficas de la muerte? En parte yo sospecho que es para mostrarnos plenamente que esto se trata de cuerpos y carne, no solo de nuestro ser espiritual. Las palabras de San Pablo en Romanos 6 sobre ser “en el cuerpo mortal” en contraste con ser “en el Espíritu” muchas veces se usan de esta manera. Sin embargo, Pablo distingue cuidadosamente entre la carne y el ...

  Nothing Can Separate Us Lent 5A, 2026   St Paul’s Emmanuel, Santa Paula and All Santos, Oxnard The Rev. Alene Campbell-Langdell, given by MCL   Today’s readings feel like they might be better suited for Halloween than Lent.   We have a valley filled with bones click, clacking their way back together into full skeletons, which are then covered with skin, and after a final command from the prophet, there is a collective gasp as the entire crowd stands to its feet alive.   And in the Gospel reading we have what looks like a full mummy coming out of the grave after Jesus ignores the family’s warning that this one stinks.   So what are we to make of all this graphic imagery of death?   In part, I suspect that we are given this graphic imagery to shield us from our all-too-human tendency of spiritualizing everything at the expense of actually recognizing God at work in our humanity, in us as physical human beings.   Paul’s words in Romans...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos Oxnard (Exodus 17:1–7; Ps. 95; Romans 5:1–11; John 4:5–42) In her Parable of the Sower series, Octavia Butler shares her theology of change. In this theology, I see God as changing with us, alongside us. Butler says: “All that you touch You Change. All that you change Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change.” ―  Octavia E. Butler (2012). “Parable of the Talents”, p.7, Open Road Media While not all change is from God, there is a truth here about the dynamic relationship between humans and God. In the Sacred Resistance meeting this week, the Rev. Sally Howard reminded us that we live in a nonlinear world, and as such, we never know how close we are to a pulse point, a change that will push us forward into a new era. I see Jesus and the Samaritan woman as embodying this moment of change or launch forward in today’s gospel. As they interact, each is open to change, particularly the Samaritan woman. They meet in the h...

M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos Oxnard (Éxodo 17:1-7; Salmo 95; Romanos 5:1-11; Juan 4:5-42) En su serie "La Parábola del Sembrador", Octavia Butler comparte su teología del cambio. En esta teología, veo a Dios cambiando con nosotros, a nuestro lado. Butler dice: “Todo lo que tocas , lo cambias. Todo lo que cambias te cambia a ti. La única verdad duradera es el cambio”. ―  Octavia E. Butler (2012). “Parable of the Talents”, p.7, Open Road Media Si bien no todo cambio proviene de Dios, hay una verdad aquí sobre la relación dinámica entre los seres humanos y Dios. En la reunión de la Resistencia Sagrada de esta semana, la Reverenda Sally Howard nos recordó que vivimos en un mundo no lineal y, como tal, nunca sabemos qué tan cerca estamos de un punto de inflexión, un cambio que nos impulsará hacia una nueva era. Veo a Jesús y a la mujer samaritana como la personificación de este momento de cambio o de un impulso hacia adelante en el evangelio de hoy. A...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Génesis 12:1–4ª; Salmo 121; Romanos 4:1–5, 13–17; San Juan 3:1–17) Good morning/ buenos días y bienvenidos. Welcome! We have a full and exciting morning, with a baptism and some very iconic scriptures. Tenemos una mañana repleta de un bautismo y de unas escrituras muy interesantes. I recently got to watch a show called “Death by Lightning.” It's about the presidency of James Garfield, and it also details the background of the person who would assassinate him just three months into his presidency. Recientemente vi una serie llamada “Death By Lightning”, que trataba sobre James Garfield y su breve tiempo como presidente de los EE. UU.   But what struck me most about this miniseries is how Garfield interacted with his vice President, Chester A. Arthur, who actually served the almost 4 years remaining of Garfield’s presidential term after Garfield's assassination. Pero lo que me interesó fue la interacción entre Garfield y ...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7; Ps. 32; Romans 5:12–19; Matthew 4:1–11) Welcome everyone. We are now in Lent! One of the things I find interesting about the Lenten season is the sense of boundaries that exists in it. We begin by seeing Jesus cross the boundaries of civilization and enter the wilderness, where he meets his limits. He also sets boundaries with the tempter. We put boundaries or limits on ourselves. For example, we may give up certain treats or obsessions. Or add new prayer times into our schedules, new disciplines. We set new boundaries in our lives and look for ways we may fast. Fast from that which separates us from God. This may include fasting from food, but it could be social media, caffeine, TV, the radio, or anything that distracts us and leaves us less centered. And these are all designed to remind us of our dependence on God. If we miss something, we notice that and we seek God instead. In today's reading from Gene...

  M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Génesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Salmo 32; Romanos 5:12-19; San Mateo 4:1-11) ¡Bienvenidos a todos! ¡Estamos en Cuaresma! Una de las cosas que me resultan interesantes de la Cuaresma es la sensación de límites que se vive durante ella. Comenzamos viendo a Jesús cruzar las fronteras de la civilización y entrar en el desierto, donde se encuentra con sus propios límites. También establece límites con el tentador. Nosotros mismos nos ponemos límites. Por ejemplo, podemos renunciar a ciertas golosinas u obsesiones. O añadir nuevos momentos de oración a nuestros horarios, nuevas disciplinas. Establecemos nuevos límites en nuestras vidas y buscamos maneras de ayunar. Ayunar de aquello que nos separa de Dios. Esto puede incluir el ayuno, pero también podrían ser las redes sociales, la cafeína, la televisión, la radio o cualquier cosa que nos distraiga y nos descentre. Lent is an invitation to take up a discipline and to put new limits on ourselves...

  Melissa Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard (Exodus 24:12–18; Pa. 99; Peter 1:16–21; Matthew 17:1–9)   When I was a young adult studying in Chile, I had the opportunity to go on a special weekend retreat for youth and young adults led by a traveling group of missionaries. It was powerful, and came at a time when I was really beginning to think about the ministry as God’s call on my future. I felt that religious high you sometimes feel when you just feel connected to God and in love with the world. And I talked to a seminarian doing fieldwork in Santiago, who wisely cautioned me that the mountaintop moment would not last forever. At some point, I would come down, and that was okay too. We need both. The mountaintop moments and the everyday living out of our faith. Today, Jesus comes out as divine on the mountaintop. Was it the thin air at the top of the mountain that led to this mystical revelation? We do know that on mountaintops, mysterious things can happen. In ...