Celebrating Xmas this year.

I am celebrating Xmas this year. I know much has been said about the war on Christmas and that even seeing me write the word Xmas angers some people. It might be true that someone somewhere wrote the word Xmas to avoid using the name of Christ. But if we examine our history a little more carefully we will find that originally the word Xmas was actually a way to clearly communicate, and in fact to highlight the name of Christ.

In Greek, the language of the New Testament, the title Christ is spelled Xristos. The letters are Greek, and the first letter is a Chi and is pronounced like the ‘ch’ sound in English. The Chi is shaped like an ornate 'X'. From its earliest beginnings, Christianity was symbolized by the Greek letter Chi. Most of the members of the early church were illiterate but could recognize the letter Chi and the first letter in the word Christ.

Archaeologists have unearthed homes from the first century with no other signs of literacy except for the Greek letter Chi or 'X' inscribed on the doorpost or above the door. Most archaeologists agree that this must have been a place where Christians met. Many of us are aware of the symbol of a fish as the symbol of choice for first century Christians. But the Chi was apparently just as popular, if not more so.

Countless Greek Christians were persecuted for their faith. When a Christian was martyred, other Christians often traced an X to mark the spot where a believer had given his or her life in faithfulness to Christ. The symbol of the X became the ultimate symbol of devotion and sacrifice. During the Dark Ages many church leaders taught their illiterate congregation the symbol of the X as a way to remember the name of Christ and when turned on its side as a way to remember the cross.

Many Monks and clergy used to ornately write a large X in their writing in order to make the name of Christ stand out. By writing Xmas with dramatic flair, it stood out and drew attention to Christ. These men and women believed the name of Christ was a name of power and held great devotional value. They took joy to see it stand out and honor their Savior.

When Christmas began to evolve into a holiday in the mid-eighteen hundreds retailers began to use the term Xmas to both save space and to draw the attention of Christian groups who would be familiar with the symbol. It made sense because many Americans could not read and they could more easily grasp the meaning of the word Xmas than to grasp a longer word like Christmas.

Unfortunately we have lost our knowledge of this great symbol of our faith found in the word Xmas. It should be a reminder that our forefathers not only celebrated but sacrificed their very lives because of their faith. Xmas reminds us of the nativity and the cross and the resting place of martyrs. What more power and appropriate symbol could we find for Christmas.

Part 7: Pastor's Code of Ethics and Covenant

For my blog the last six weeks I have been examining the Pastor’s code of ethics and covenant. Every profession has some ethical standards, but those of a pastor are necessarily different. We have examined the preamble and the first eight covenants. You can see them by clicking one of the links listed on the right side of this page. This week let’s think about the ninth covenant.

• I will hold in confidence any privileged communication received by me during the conduct of my ministry. I will not disclose confidential communications in private or public except when in my practice of ministry I am convinced that the sanctity of confidentiality is outweighed by my well-founded belief that the parishioner/client will cause imminent, life-threatening, or substantial harm to self or others, or unless the privilege is waived by those giving the information.

I really like this covenant. I like that people can feel free to tell me what they want and I am privileged to hold their secrets for them. It is an honor to me that people would trust me enough to share their lives with me, both good and bad. I like that it gives me freedom to break confidence when it is necessary to protect people.