Merry Xmas!
As Christmas greetings go, none has the ability to make a believer’s blood boil more than this one. But truth be told, it has been a while since I have seen this greeting used. The impression that I get is that was a very badly received experiment that seems to have gone away.
The origins of this experiment are not quite clear. Many have felt that it was yet another attempt to secularize the holiday. Or to put it more plainly, to take Christ out of Christmas. It is important to remember that folks have been very honest when explaining their preference for “Happy Holidays” by saying it speaks to the time of year without affirming the Christian holiday. However, I have never heard an equivalent confession concerning Merry Xmas.
As unpopular as it may be, the X in Xmas has a couple of very significant origins. First it is true that the Greek name of Christ, kristos (meaning Anointed One), was abbreviated to X. You see that in the famous Christian fish symbol which was made by combining the first letters from the Greek words Jesus Christ, God’s Son is Savior. The resulting letters (including X for Christ) spelt the word fish.
The second important faith origin is that the X also represents the cross. Bethlehem doesn’t matter nearly as much without Calvary and its cross. Without the cross, it is an amazing story, but it doesn’t really make a difference in my life today.
This one letter powerfully proclaims not only the person of Christmas but also the purpose of the Christ. Now, I don’t really know the motives of those prefer Merry Xmas, and I don’t plan on making it my greeting of choice….but for reminding me of the cross in this season, I am grateful for it.
May your journey to the manger include a glimpse of the cross this year.
As Christmas greetings go, none has the ability to make a believer’s blood boil more than this one. But truth be told, it has been a while since I have seen this greeting used. The impression that I get is that was a very badly received experiment that seems to have gone away.
The origins of this experiment are not quite clear. Many have felt that it was yet another attempt to secularize the holiday. Or to put it more plainly, to take Christ out of Christmas. It is important to remember that folks have been very honest when explaining their preference for “Happy Holidays” by saying it speaks to the time of year without affirming the Christian holiday. However, I have never heard an equivalent confession concerning Merry Xmas.
As unpopular as it may be, the X in Xmas has a couple of very significant origins. First it is true that the Greek name of Christ, kristos (meaning Anointed One), was abbreviated to X. You see that in the famous Christian fish symbol which was made by combining the first letters from the Greek words Jesus Christ, God’s Son is Savior. The resulting letters (including X for Christ) spelt the word fish.
The second important faith origin is that the X also represents the cross. Bethlehem doesn’t matter nearly as much without Calvary and its cross. Without the cross, it is an amazing story, but it doesn’t really make a difference in my life today.
This one letter powerfully proclaims not only the person of Christmas but also the purpose of the Christ. Now, I don’t really know the motives of those prefer Merry Xmas, and I don’t plan on making it my greeting of choice….but for reminding me of the cross in this season, I am grateful for it.
May your journey to the manger include a glimpse of the cross this year.
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1 comment:
Ahhh, finally, someone who sees the Holydays and Xmas through the historical lens. Bless you, my friend, for there aren't many of us around these days. As you know, we tend to pick the wrong fights. Thanks for your faithfulness in setting the record straight!
Joel
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