Joy to the World

by Deacon Lorna Goodison on December 22, 2022

                       “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:14)

      Christmas is a time of joy! The Church celebrates the glorious mystery of our faith. As God moved and spoke in the past, to redeem God’s people, so the Incarnation signaled a landmark moment in time. God powerfully acted once more for humanity’s salvation. In His saving plan, God sent Jesus Christ, the Word, to take on humanity’s fleshly nature. Through the earthly work of Jesus, we sinful humans may be restored and recreated as children of God, if we believe and entrust ourselves into His care. Imagine, Jesus Christ who was mystically One with God from before Creation, and through whom “all things came into being,” He condescended to be like us, our fleshly nature!  As we contemplate this glorious mystery, we raise our voices and rejoice! Our Holy and gracious Lord is alive! It is His joy to save us! No more do we need to remain in the guilt of sin or the despair of pain and sorrow. God’s Son, Jesus calls us out of the darkness of our lives into the light of His unconditional love and compassion. We rejoice because with Jesus’ birth we are enlivened by hope. Prophetic promises of consolation and redemption have become a living reality. We are joyful because, in Christ, we have Emmanuel, God with us. We rejoice because we experience in amazing ways, a tangible sense of God’s close presence in our life daily.  

      This year, as we encounter the angelic annunciation, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, the birth of Jesus in a manger, shepherds greeted by an angel and magi who follow a star to Jesus’ bedside, let us try to imagine that we are hearing these stories for the first time. Let them linger in our hearts that we may experience the deep longing of first-century Christians and Jews who were awaiting the coming of a Messiah as foretold by the prophets. Then let us share in the joy of His Incarnation, with full assurance that He now comes to live in our hearts and draw us closer to His glorious being in God’s everlasting kingdom.

Rejoice, people of God! Celebrate the new life within you,

Christ is present in your midst!

The Presence will give you new meaning,

And the future will be bright with hope.

Rejoice, people of God! Bow your heads before the One

Who is our wisdom and strength.

We place ourselves before You, O God,

That we may be touched and cleansed

By the power of Your Holy Spirit.

 

May your Christmas Season be one of peace and abundant joy!!   

Tags: faith, christmas, joy, incarnation, salvation, jesus christ, new life, emmanuel, rejoice

About the Author
Deacon Lorna Goodison

Reverend Lorna Goodison was ordained to the Diaconate on April 29, 2007. After discerning a call to ordained ministry, Deacon Lorna completed a process of spiritual discernment and pursued three years of study at the Diocesan School for Christian Studies. She also completed three units of hospice care training through Vitas and for a short while she was a volunteer Chaplain. Highlights of her continuing education activities include a guided visit to Israel and attending the Festival of Homiletics in Boulder, Colorado.

Soon after her ordination, Deacon Lorna was called to serve as Deacon at St. Mary Magdalene. She initiated an outreach ministry to the homeless at St. Laurence Chapel, obtaining the support and involvement of most members of the congregation. This ministry remained a vibrant outreach of the Church until the Chapel closed in 2019.  Other outreach ministries formed include an informal group of members who stay in touch with members who are ill and shut-in. Deacon Lorna remains committed to both the in-reach and outreach ministries of the Church. She has led quiet day reflections for groups within and outside of St. Mary Magdalene. She has often led Deacon’s Masses at small churches without a priest. Of all the ministries in which Deacon Lorna participates, she is most humbled and grateful to be involved in the ministry of praying with congregants facing life’s challenges.

Deacon Lorna serves the Diocese of Southeast Florida as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. She also serves on the Board of Deacons.   

Professionally, Deacon Lorna worked for some years in Human Resource Departments as a Training Manager, but most of her working years were spent in Social Work. She worked with at-risk teenagers counselling them and guiding them to resources to build a meaningful future. The last twenty years of her profession, were spent working with Seniors, guiding them to the resources needed to maintain their safety and independence. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a master’s degree in Adult Education. She is now retired, cherishes some alone time for prayer and reflection, but divides her time between the Church and her family which consists of two daughters, their husbands and three grandchildren.

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