Have you ever gotten upset about the supposed ‘X’-ing Christ out of Christmas? Have you seen the ‘Xmas’ signs around town and wondered why it was so hard to write the word Christ on that sign? Have you lamented that this holiday has gotten so commercialized that we have to change the name to Xmas? Well, you needn’t worry.

The ‘X’ in ‘Xmas’ is not a devilish ploy to remove Christ from Christmas. Far from it. That ‘X’ is really no ‘X’ at all. It’s actually the English stand-in for the Greek letter chi (pronounced like “key”), which looks remarkably like an ‘X’. What does that have to do with Christ? Well, the Greek word christos, which means Christ, begins with the letter chi, and the traditional way of abbreviating the word christos is with just the letter chi, which as we’ve already learned, looks just like the English ‘X’. So then, the ‘X’ in Xmas is really no ‘X’ at all, it’s the Greek chi, which is a perfectly acceptable and orthodox way of writing the word Christ.

So the next time you see an ‘Xmas’ sign, you can just remind yourself that there really is no ‘X’ in that sign, and the letter that looks like an ‘X’ is the Greek way of abbreviating the word Christ!

Yesterday I put together a tentative outline for the Galatians class.

Galatians: The Letter that Changed the World | Saturdays @ 5pm, Room 101

• 1.03 | Introduction
• 1.10 | The Early Life of Paul (1:1-2:21)
• 1.17 | You Foolish Galatians! (3:1-25)
• 1.24 | Slaves and Sons (3:26-4:31)
• 1.31 | It Is for Freedom (5:1-15)
• 2.07 | Fruits and Friends (5:16-6:10)
• 2.14 | What Large Letters (6:11-18)

Thank you to everyone who has helped give input on the type of classes we ought to offer through the equipping ministry. There are some exciting things in the works, and much of it has been inspired by your thoughtful feedback. Please continue to tell us what you think. You can always e-mail Andy or post a message on our forum. Because there are still so many details to be sketched out, we will again be offering two courses that generally follow the same format as our Isaiah and John classes. Please note that the classes will run for seven weeks (instead of ten) and, the meeting times and rooms have changed. See below for specific information.

Galatians: The Letter that Changed the World

The book of Romans is often credited with holding the truths that launched the Reformation, but the letter of Galatians was equally important in stirring Martin Luther’s heart and mind toward grace and faith as the only means of salvation. In this seven week course we will look at the core message of Galatians, seeking to understand what it meant for the church of Galatia who first received it, what it meant for Martin Luther 1500 years later, and what it means for us today. Come join us as we kick-off this class on January 3rd at 5:00pm in room 101.

Cheating on God: The Warning of Hosea

How does God feel when we abandon him? What happens inside God’s heart when we worship other gods and pursue other goals? The nation of Israel constantly engaged in idolatry—the worship of gods other than the one true God—and to God that felt like adultery. Hosea understood this all too well, as his own life was ripped apart by an adulterous wife. In this seven week course, we will hear Hosea’s words afresh, and hear his call to remain faithful to the only true God. Come join us as we kick-off this class on January 4th at 9:00am in room 101.

A special thanks to all of you who participated in our equipping classes, John and Isaiah, this fall! I appreciate your willingness to commit to these ten-week courses. It was a blessing to lead these times, and I look forward to our classes starting up in the winter!

There was some question as to whether or not we would continue with the John class in room 110, or move it back to room 102. We will continue to meet in room 110 for the rest of the class. If you are at all interested in attending either of our equipping classes, please don’t hesitate to come! We would love for you to join us. 

We are also preparing for the winter sessions, and we’ve got some exciting things in store! Stay tuned…