It is still the Christmas season in the church. We are still celebrating the saving power of God in the coming of Christ. The Psalm for today sings the joyful song of praise for all the Lord has done. Yet, despite the fact that the Lord has made known his salvation to all the nations, not all the ends of the earth acknowledge having seen the saving power of God. All the ends of the earth just celebrated Christmas but not everyone declares Jesus Christ as Lord. Does this give us reason to doubt the words of the Bible? Does it give us reason to deny Jesus as the Christ? Not for those who are strong in faith. Despite living in a world of disbelievers we are called to confidence. We are called to remain in Christ, to continue to look for his coming and to make way for him in our lives and the world. For it is through us that God’s wondrous deeds are done and God’s justice is revealed. It is through us that all the ends of the earth will see the saving power of God.
So it is important, I think and believe that even though the secular celebration of Christmas is over, the celebration of the Christ in our lives should be even more confident and obvious to all the ends of the earth. It is even more important that all we received from Christ’s coming remains in us. The tree is still up at my church. At home, I don’t take down all of my lights or put away my nativity scene until the Epiphany season is past. All through January I have holiday gatherings in my home. They are less hurried now, and more reflective without the stresses of the secular Christmas.
The gifts I gave and received for Christmas 2005 are already forgotten but the wondrous deeds that God has done are still proclaiming salvation….like the pig I gave to a Haitian family through the Heifer Project sponsored by my church. That family doesn’t know me, but hopefully they have seen the salvation of God. I give thanks at this time for all the people of faith who gave gifts that witness to God’s kindness and faithfulness to all the ends of the earth. Gifts that truly keep on giving.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
