A few years ago, I wanted to use the sign outside of our church to advertise the upcoming Christmas Eve services. I didn’t have enough “c’s” for the sign, so instead of Christmas, I put “xmas”. Within a couple of hours someone from the church stopped into the office and very kindly showed me how I could turn an “o” into a “c” with a small piece of well positioned tape. Message received. Problem solved. And the sign was changed back to the full word, CHRISTMAS.
I know the word “xmas” rankles a few people. At best the word comes across as a lazy shortcut, at worst, it is seen as a way that society is rubbing the season clean of its religious ties. I must admit that when I walk into Walmart and see a big blue sign advertising “XMAS SALES!!”, I shrug and sigh (but part of that is just being in Walmart close to Christmas)
Is it really that bad to refer to Christmas as Xmas? History suggests it may not be.
“X” in the Greek alphabet is the symbol for the letter “chi”, which is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ. In the earliest days of the faith, when Christianity was outlawed by the ruling Empire of the day, followers of Jesus would use the symbol “X” to let others know that they were in the company of a fellow believer. X became a secret symbol that tied together the earliest Christian communities. It was said that when these early followers would secretly distribute food and clothing to those in need, they would write “X” on the bag to let others know that the food was meant to be diverted to the poor and not used to fill the bellies of the Roman aristocracy.
The “X” in “Xmas” could be said to reference a time when acts of love, kindness and charity were done in secret.
No one knew this better than another early follower of the Christian faith, Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra (270-320 CE). Nicholas was known for giving people gifts in secret to avoid the watchful eye of those who were suspicious of anyone purporting to follow this new movement. It was said that he secretly dropped three bags of gold coins through the window of a poor man, so that he could pay the dowry for each of his daughters and save them from a life of prostitution. The secret generosity of Nicholas didn’t stay secret forever. Upon his death many of his acts of kindness were revealed, prompting the church to vault him into sainthood. Bishop Nicholas became Saint Nicholas. Eventually, the generous life of this man would become the foundation of the legend of Santa Claus, the jolly elf from the north who also does his best work in secret.
Generosity can reveal its most beautiful nature, when accompanied by secrecy.
Every so often, for the past couple of years, chocolate bars or candies have appeared on my pulpit at the front of the church. I have no idea who leaves them there. As much as I love the treats, what I love the most is that it’s a mystery. Maybe one day I will discover who is it, and maybe I never will, but for now I’m enjoying this wonderful secret gift.
What if for this season, instead of letting the word “Xmas” get under our skin, we let it encourage us, by reminding us of a proud history of secret giving.
I just won’t write it on the sign.
