Merry Xmas everyone!
Did you know that the phrase “Xmas” was commonly accepted and used by Christians going back hundreds of years?
Today, there are many people who view “Xmas” as some sort of secular “attack on Christmas.” It’s part of an organized agenda to remove Jesus from Christmas.
Which is impossible to do by the way because Jesus IS Christmas. You can’t remove Jesus from Christmas. But I digress.
Sure, there are definitely some people who desire to remove Jesus from everything. I get that. But “Xmas” is actually a very Christian thing to say.
Our English letter “X” comes from the Greek letter “Chi”, which is the 1st letter in the Greek name for Christ (Christos). Christos is the name used for Jesus in the Greek New Testament.
As far back as 1021, British monks were using the letter “X” to represent Christ. As far back as 1551 the Oxford English Dictionary was using the word “Xmas”, and not in a “take Jesus out of Christmas” way.
“Xmas” being used in place of “Christmas” has been found n letters, poetry, curriculum and other writings, even by devout Jesus followers, as far back as the 1600’s.
R. C. Sproul, a well respected and highly regarded modern day American Christian theologian said that to use X for Christ was the same thing as using R.C. to represent his name, “Robert Charles.”
He said his parents started calling him R. C. before he ever left the hospital and, “No one seems to be scandalized by that.”
The X in Xmas came down through church history as an abbreviation for Christ. There’s a long and sacred use of that letter to symbolize the name of Jesus, and from its origin it has meant no disrespect.
Maybe instead of us being so concerned about keeping Christ in Christmas this year, we should concern ourselves with keeping Christ in being Christian.
Hmm. Another post for another day.
Until then, merry Xmas everyone!