Rebirth in the Spirit

by Deacon Lorna Goodison on June 02, 2021

We all desire to know more about God and we want to describe the mystery that is God. With our insufficient knowledge and language, we describe God as divine love, majesty, glory, almighty, and of course, the Holy Trinity. 

 This Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of the Holy Trinity. In the Gospel, (John 3:1-17) Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus as “a teacher who has come from God”. Yet he is puzzled about who God is in the light of Jesus’ powerful bodily presence.

 Jesus invites Nicodemus to consider that it is more important to know God the way beloved persons know each other intimately than to know about God. Jesus, therefore, responds to Nicodemus’ dilemma by telling him that “no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above.”

 Thinking literally, Nicodemus ponders the impossibility of re-entering a mother’s womb for a new birth. But rebirth is far more profound than birth into this finite world. Being reborn, the Spirit enables us to envision God and God’s kingdom. Jesus explains that rebirth occurs through cleansing from sin in the waters of Baptism, and the infusing of the Holy Spirit which we receive by faith.

 Our rebirth in the Holy Spirit guides us into a deep relationship with God, leading to everlasting life. In our new spiritual life, we “put to death the deeds of the body,” the flesh and we listen and respond to the Spirit’s leading.

And just as we cannot see, but only feel the wind, in the same way, we cannot see the Spirit but discern Her presence in the lives of renewed persons. At the time of Jesus’ death, we see Nicodemus’ renewal. He fearlessly brought to the cross a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.

 This Sunday, let us not simply say the Creed but proclaim that we truly believe the Triune God is alive and the Holy Spirit indwells us. “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 

Tags: holy spirit, rebirth, triune god, holy trinity

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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