For sooooo many years I had an aversion to spelling the word "Christmas" as "Xmas." Making gift lists, I always had to write it as My Christmas List. I was tempted to write Xmas, because I'm always in a hurry. but I just couldn't...
What was really at the root of it, though? Well, I'm not 100% positive, but somehow there seemed to be a fear that I was disrespecting the One who rescued me from myself, something I couldn't do on my own. I would always honor him. Most of my life I have heard that the term "Xmas" was a weapon used in an alleged "war on Christmas" that came directly from the pits of hell, or the media, as some would say. Seriously. If you have never heard that phrase, just keep your ears open, because it's about to start being declared amongst us church folk, at least during this time of year. Innocently, of course! I was one of them for many years. But, the truth will set you free, I've heard. 😉😉
I've always (more so now that I'm getting closer to the end of my journey here), searched for the truth in any given situation. And now, I've ran across some interesting tidbits of substituting Xmas for the word Christmas, and why some are offended by it and others aren't. My ears (eyes) perked up the first time I saw this. Maybe because it described me to a "t".
It seems there is a particular belief system that gets offended when "Christ" is taken out of Christmas. Did you realize that 6 in 10 people with evangelical beliefs (according to a 2018 Christianity Today article), find the use of Xmas instead of Christmas to be offensive? And this had been ME! Always judging the intent of the heart.
Hope you're sitting down, because I'm about to help you rethink your position on Xmas, if you are one of those 6 in 10. "When we search for truth, we'll find it" (Matthew 7:7 paraphrased). Want to know the irony of all this? Xmas has been used by CHRISTIANS and the church for HUNDREDS of years, long before the term appeared in holiday advertisements and packaging. Yup. You read that right! There was never an intention to remove Christ from the holiday that celebrates him. Truth, you ask for? Well...the X stands for chi, the Greek letter that begins the word "Christ" or "Christos."
The first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity (Constantine), instructed his soldiers to display the letter on their shields before the battle of Milvian Bridge. The abbreviation also appeared in early Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Hmmmmm...
The English version of the abbreviation dates back to at least 1021, when an Anglo-Saxon scribe shortened Christmas to "XPmas." (X and P indicate chi and rho, the first two Greek letters of Christ, and Constantine combined them to create the "XP" symbol for Jesus. Eventually, the letter P was dropped.)
Have you ever heard of, or maybe you are a parent, that calls your child by his/her initials instead of their birth name? Most of us shorten longer names, right? Our oldest daughter's daughter, has as her first name, Warner. That's the name she goes by, but when her momma writes about her, or sends a text, she most usually types out "W", instead of the whole name. The name of Christ is no different, when writing "Xmas". Remember that X stands for chi, the first letter of the word Christ.
R.C. Sproul, renowned theologian, makes note that when his parents took him home from the hospital as a newborn, they called him R.C. and in his words, "nobody seemed to be too scandalized by that." He noted that X as an abbreviation for Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show disrespect for the Son of God. "There's a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ," he said, "and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect."
But I get it. An "X" just seems to cross him out, leaving only a mess (mas) in its wake. I KNOW you've heard THAT! It's everywhere! But, may I suggest that it is US, and not a simple acronym, that takes Christ out of Christmas? We are the ones that create a mess when we intentionally leave the meaning of this most wonderful gift, in the shadows of making sure everyone has everything they ever wished for in what money can provide. Yes. It is the season of opening our hearts to give. But where we go wrong is in giving so much to ourselves and our loved ones, instead of those that Christ came for. The lost in spirit. The hungry in spirit. The needy in spirit. All that we see are results of a life lived for oneself that has no capacity to see others needs. That, I believe, is why as Christians we fear that we are REALLY "xing" out Christ, if we write out the word as Xmas.
Wrapping this up, could I also suggest the next time someone protests, "Let's put Christ back in Christmas," we can remind him or her that Christ has always been in Christmas. And he always will be. A simple Xmas can't delete him. We may not include him in the celebration that was designed for him, but he will always be "the reason for the season" as we say.
Always searching for truth, here you will find me...in Mary's World
P.S. Inspiration for this particular blog came from the book, 101 Amazing Things About Christmas
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