Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." You may have heard about the little boy who was shopping with his father in a department store and noticed the large red-and-green "Happy Xmas" sign. As he was bothered by what he had just observed, he asked his dad if they had crossed Christ out of Christmas. His father admitted that he had never thought of it that way before, but finally agreed that his son must be right. Being similar to the boy in this story, I have always thought the same thing about retailers and others who have used X-mas instead of Christmas. Are they taking a stand against the real reason for the season, or are they just being lazy? According to the Greek lanquage that was used in the New Testament, "Chi" is similar to the Roman " X" which is the first letter of Christ. Many, many years ago when printing was slow, tedious, and was performed by by hand, abbreviations were very widely used. In fact, it was very common for churches to use the abbreviation "X" for "Christ" in their Christian publications. As a Christian, I've never written X-mas instead of Christmas. Many years ago at a very young age, I learned that when our family shared Christmas greetings with others, we have always expressed "Merry Christmas." Dear Friend, remember to always include Christ in all you do. If you are thankful for your relationship with Christ, it will be very easy and natural to write His full name and not participate in omissions or substitutions. Always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Him. Merry Christmas! Dave Henry