Fully Alive in God

(Holy Trinity Shutterspeed from: photographyjkh.wordpress.com) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31; Ps 8; Romans 5:1–5; St. John 16:12–15) “Oh Lord our Governor, how exalted is your name in all the world!” So starts Psalm 8, and if you are like me, you begin to feel that perhaps this means that God is above everything, like a distant ruler who sometimes peers imperiously in our direction. But if you have ever seen a British film, you may have heard another way of pronouncing this word, Governor—“Gov’nor.” It is a term bandied about in a friendly way and is a bit like when guys might call each other “boss” or “jefe” to show joking respect. Oh Lord our Gov’nor—this is a much friendlier image-a relatable one—we don’t have some distant monarch in the sky but a God whose whole being is about being in relationship. Because that is what we talk about today, on Trinity Sunday. If you look up the Holy Trinity in google images, chances are you will s...

(Holy Trinity Shutterspeed / from: photographyjkh.wordpress.com) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Proverbios 8:1–4, 22–31; Salmo 8; Romanos 5:1–5; San Juan 16:12–15) “Oh Señor, soberano nuestro, ¡cuán glorioso es tu Nombre en toda la tierra!” Así empieza Salmo 8, y si son como yo, imaginan que esto significa que Dios el soberano es sobre todo, como un líder distante quien de vez en cuando mira imperiosamente en nuestra dirección. En ingles, “soberano” es aquí traducido “Governor,” o “gobernador,” y esto me ayuda. Porque no sé si han visto algunas películas de Gran Bretaña, pero tenemos una manera de llamar a los hombres quienes amamos, un término de respeto pero también es un poco chistoso. Los llamamos “Gov’nor.” Y yo pienso, ¿qué les parece si Dios es el “Gov’nor?” Es una imagen más amable, a la cual podemos relacionar. Es un poco como cuando los hombres se llaman “jefe” entre si mismos. If we see God as “Gov’nor” it helps us to feel we don’t have some dista...

(http://www.shawnaatteberry.com/2014/03/17/ lydia-buisness-woman-and-home-church-pastor/) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Acts 16:9–15; Ps. 67; Revelation 21:10, 22–22:5; John 14:23–29) I want to sing the praises of audacious women. In England, where I was born, it was well understood that a woman, if she wanted to appear well-born, should be soft-spoken and calm in demeanor. If too loud or gregarious, you run the risk of been seen as low-class, or worse, American.  J Jewish culture at the time of Saint Paul was not all that different. We know this, ironically, because it is said that Macedonian woman, by contrast, were known to be a lot freer and a bit wilder than others in the greater Mediterreanean and Levant region where Paul and his companions traveled. [1] And this is the same region where Paul meets Lydia and her household; her companions at prayer. And we can imagine the scene. Here are Paul and his companions, and they approach this group that they ...

(from: http://www.shawnaatteberry.com/2014/03/17/ lydia-buisness-woman-and-home-church-pastor/) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Hechos 16:9–15; Salmo 67; Revelación 21:10, 22–22:5; Juan 14:23–29) Quiero cantar las alabanzas de las mujeres audaces. Donde yo nací, en Inglaterra, era bien entendido que una mujer debe estar un poco callada, a lo menos para estar recibida como una persona de buena educación. Where I was born, in England, it was understood that women should be generally quiet and mild in their manners, at least the ones who did not want to be seen as low-class. Una mujer que hizo demasiado ruido, que habló demasiado fuerte, o quien de cualquiera manera no pareció lo anticipado como la mujer inglesa, callada y siempre apropiada, fue tratado a veces como si fuera no solo mal educada pero también como si fuera un poco grosera. La cultura judía del tiempo de San Pablo no fue tan diferente. Sabemos esto porque las mujeres de Macedonia, la región donde...

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/526358275178373198/) M. Campbell-Langdell All Saints, Oxnard (Acts 9:36–43; Ps. 23; Revelation 7:9–17; John 10:22–30) I remember the moment well. I was very nervous. I was walking across the springtime splendor of my upstate New York college campus with my professor, an anthropologist of Indian extraction whom I admired greatly. Who had taught me about neocolonialism and Aboriginal dreamtime and thinking outside of the Western Hierarchical-Progress box. All of a sudden, he asked me what my plans were for after graduation.  And I explained to him, that after  almost four years of studying the effects of colonialism in Latin America and around the world, and trying to see how I could make the world a better place, I was thinking of going into one of the bastions of colonialism-the church-to become a priest. My fear was that he would snarl at me in disgust or be disappointed – this young white woman is just going to go take all that w...

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/526358275178373198/) M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Hechos 9:36–43; Salmo 23; Revelación 7:9–17; San Juan 10:22–30) Yo lo recuerdo bien. ¡Estaba bien nerviosa! Caminaba tras la pasta primaveral del campus de mi universidad en el estado de Nueva York con mi profesor. Él era un antropólogo de origen indio (de India) y lo respeté muchísimo. Me había ensenado del neocolonialismo y el tiempo del sueño de la cultura aborigen. Y como pensar más grande  de lo que aprendemos pensar en el Oeste. My other professors and he had taught me a lot about thinking differently than the typical Western progress mindset. Y de repente, me preguntó de que fue mi plan para después de la graduación. Y lo expliqué que después de casi cuatro años de estudiar los efectos del colonialismo en la América Latina y en otras partes del mundo, y después de estudiar cómo hacer el mundo un mejor lugar, yo pensaba entrar en una de los baluartes tradicionales del co...