You’ve seen them. I know you have. Bumper stickers, t-shirts, and signs like the one above lambasting those who’ve heretically replaced Christ with the infamous letter X. I mean, I’ve even been reprimanded and accused of “selling out” on Facebook due to a status update that left out the reason for the season– or did it…
You see, we see the English letter X there, but actually it is kai, the first letter of Christos, the Greek name for Christ. Dating back many centuries, that X became a shorthand symbol for Christ.
No one protests the use of the “Jesus fish” do they? Interestingly enough, the X in X-mas and the fish have the same roots. The greek word for fish is ichthus, which is an acronym involving the use of the first letters for the Greek phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”
So the early Christians would take the first letter of those words and put them together to spell the Greek word for fish. And a universal symbol for the faith that would be used for many centuries was born. Notice the second letter. It’s X, the same abbreviation for Christ that is so negatively regarded in legalistic Christianity.
So here’s the point: There’s a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect. Ironically, history tells us that many of the same individuals who religiously and ignorantly view the X a sellout of the real reason for Christmas will do little individually to proclaim what the story of Christmas is all about, that Jesus came to bring hope to the starving animistic tribe in Africa and the hurting businessman who lives across the street.
Here are a few X-mas ideas for you:
- Invite a friend to one of our Christmas eve services.
- Buy less presents this year and choose to use that money to serve on mission among the nations.
- Spend time this holiday season praying for the billion people around the world who’ve never heard the Christmas story.
- Talk together as a family about whom you can share the story of the hope Christ brings. Then, well, share it.
I’d love to hear your ideas as well.
