Merry X-Mas?

Dec 5

Written By Admin

Have you heard of the war that is happening? No, not across the waters in Israel or Ukraine. Not even the war between who has the best lawn on your street. Rather, the war that news media outlets are calling the “Merry Christmas” war. Challenging that saying “Merry Christmas” is too Christian and that the better thing to say is, “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Xmas,” or similar greetings. It may feel that Jesus’ Birth is being replaced or overlooked.

Maybe for you you face this from your children, your co-workers, or you are even wondering how to talk about Christmas. Well, I’m here to help!

I’m sure that we all have heard or even thought ourselves that “Xmas” is another way to cut Christ out. Rather, the true meaning of Xmas invites us all to search our own hearts and to examine who (or what) is really receiving our worship.

Remember, The New Testament was not written in English but in Greek. Our English word “Christ” comes from the Greek word Χριστός (pronounced “Christos”), which means Messiah or Anointed One. The Greek letter Chi (Χ) is roughly equal to our English letter “X.”

In fact, Christ is abbreviated as ΧΣ in the New Testament manuscripts themselves. This is an example of nomina sacra, a long scribal tradition of abbreviating sacred names. There are examples of different forms of “Xmas” going as far back as 1021 AD. So, for literally 1,000 years, Christians have used this shorthand to represent the name of Christ!

The use of Xmas is not a corporate conspiracy cooked up by marketing executives to remove the religious roots of our most beloved holiday. But this issue invites us all, Christian or not, to take a closer look at what we worship.

The Real Threat to Xmas

Materialism and greed are a greater threat to us taking Christ out of Christmas than the use of Xmas. We are in the midst of inflation, war, suicide at a n all time high, and rampant unemployment. The threat to Xmas…is our focus. Consider this, the Puritans were so bothered by the idolatry of Christmas that they banned the holiday in some of their first colonies.

I want you to think this way. David said in Psalm 139:

“Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.” (V23-24)

Where is your focus this Christmas? Finding unecessary wars? Materialism? Greed? Purchases? Or, creating a space where Jesus can be born?

If you find your community around you drifting away from Jesus as the focus of Christmas, remember those shepherds in Luke 2? Their response to a crazy culture was to keep their focus on Jesus. The Narrator says, “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told to them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:17-18)

Go tell the world about Jesus by first reminding yourself of the story you have with Jesus! What has Jesus done for you? What does Jesus mean to you? Is there room for him in your house?