The X Factor

Have you ever heard that phrase, “Christians are known more for what they’re against than what they’re for?”  That kind of bugs me – for two reasons.  1) Because I’m a Christian.  2) Because it’s probably true.  Ouch!

This past summer when the whole Chic-Fil-A ordeal was going on, Skye Jethani (Christianity Today) did some research.  As you recall, a lot of Christians turned out in support of Chic-Fil-A because the gay community was going to boycott the restaurant.  Skye’s research showed that in the last ten or twenty years (it’s been a while, I forget the time frame), Christians have initiated a whole lot more boycotts than other organization.   Hmmm.  What does that tell you about us?

For years, during the Christmas season, Christians have complained about “taking Christ out of Christmas” – namely, the use of Xmas instead of Christmas.  Generally, we’ve made a big stink out of the deal.

In actuality, it may not be that bad.  It might even be a good reminder of what Christmas means and can be a bridge to conversations about the meaning.

Two thousand years ago, paper and pen as we know it, did not exist.  Information was memorized or abbreviated.  X is the first letter in the Greek word Christos (Χριστός).  In church history, X is shorthand for Christ.  An O with a line across the middle is Theou (Θεου) and means God.  Have you ever heard of anyone protesting the use of the Greek letter for God?   I didn’t think so.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the “fish symbol” that the early church used.  I’m not sure, but I think the origination was a spin off some of the disciples being fishermen and being called by Jesus to be fishers of men.  So, the early church would take the fish and inside of it put five letters, creating an acronym of sorts.  The letters look like this:

ΙΧΘΥΣ

They stand for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.  Really, isn’t that a good reminder of what Christmas is?  Not only is Xmas about Jesus.  Xmas can remind us once again, that He is the Son of God.  And, that He is our Savior.  It also reminds us that we are to be fishers of men.

So next time you see Xmas used, rather than get all in a huff, use it for a reminder of Who Christmas is about and what we’re supposed to do about it.

SDG