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Think on These Things: There's nothing un-Christian about keeping the X in Xmas

Xmas expresses willingness to include Christ in the season even when space is limited, says Erickson Covenant Church Pastor Tom Greentree...
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Tom Greentree is the pastor of Erickson Covenant Church.

Hung from glittering banners and crammed onto highway billboards, “Merry Xmas” is a common sight. And some Christians don’t like it. Rather than Christmas abbreviated, the use of Xmas is viewed as yet another attempt to minimize or even eliminate Christ from Christmas.

Consequently, some Christians have gone on the offensive. When business owners, in an effort to fit “Merry Christmas” across their store windows shorten it to “Merry Xmas”, they receive complaints. Using Xmas is viewed as an agenda-driven rejection of Jesus, the main character of Christmas.

It isn’t. And I’d like to set the record straight. The X in Xmas is simply an abbreviation for Christ. Perhaps a little language lesson would be helpful. X is the first letter of the Greek word Christ and has been the primary initial for Christ since the birth of Christianity. Stories have been told of how the Greek word for fish, ixthus, became code for basic Christian confession; each letter of ixthus stood as first letter of each word in the phrase, “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is the Saviour.” And what did the X in ixthus stand for? Yep, the X stood for Christ. Another example is the familiar “Xp” (chi rho), which has been a symbol for Christ for over a thousand years. The use of Xmas is a natural extension of this established practice, coming into literature over 400 years ago.

Rather than seeing Xmas as the removal or substitution of Jesus, I see it as another example of his pervasive presence. Jesus is everywhere, even when his presence is more hidden or subtle. And that’s the Christmas story, isn’t it? Jesus’ birth was hidden from the eyes of the world, made known only to a precious few. In the secrecy of that stable, God, the World-Lover, gave his most precious gift to be the World’s Light. And Jesus, living, dying and rising again in obscurity, became known to the rest of the world only as his hidden story was made known through eyewitnesses. His story continues to be retold today, both boldly and incognito.

I find Xmas encouraging. Rather than a derisive minimization, Xmas expresses a willingness to include Christ in the season even when space is limited. Like the infamous innkeeper in an overbooked Bethlehem, Xmas reminds us that though Jesus may at times be hidden, he is always present.

“Jesus is the reason for the season,” as the common jingle goes. And his presence is here, proclaimed in longhand or short, pointing us toward the generosity of the God who sent his Son, Jesus, as his life-changing gift to all.

So, the next time you see a Merry Xmas, remember that X marks the spot for Christ. And maybe say thank you to the business owner who chose to keep Christ in Christmas.

Merry Xmas.!

Tom Greentree pastors the Erickson Covenant Church and lives with his family on a Canyon farm. He welcomes any questions or comments and can be reached at www.ericksoncovenant.ca.