Scholar R.C. Sproul has a short explanation on why using “X” for “Christ” in Christmas is acceptable:

The idea of X as an abbreviation for the name of Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show any disrespect for Jesus.

The church has used the symbol of the fish historically because it is an acronym. Fish in Greek (ichthus) involved 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 those letters together to spell the Greek word for fish. That’s how the symbol of the fish became the universal symbol of Christendom.

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.

HT:  Justin Taylor

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you:

you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host

praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:11-14 (ESV)

Merry Christmas!

And Mary said,

• Luke 1 (ESV)

A Magnificat kind of Christmas, which understands Christmas as about God’s acts to redeem through the incarnation, is also about the poor…

I suspect that Mary understood the conception of the Messiah in her womb as the first act of God to establish justice through her son — he would scatter the proud and bring down rulers and send the rich away empty and he would also lift the humble and fill the hungry with good things.

• Scot McKnight

Bring me a white horse for Christmas

Underneath white birches
Our faces toward the sky
We will make snow angels
With our white horse standing by

Hush now baby
One day we’re gonna ride
Hush now baby
Our white horse through the sky

Bring me a white horse for Christmas
We’ll ride him through the snow
All the way to Bethlehem
2000 years ago

I wanna speak with the angel
Who said do not be afraid
I wanna kneel where the oxen knelt
Where the little child was laid

Hush now baby
One day you’re gonna ride
Hush now baby
Your white horse through the sky

No bridle will he be wearing
His unshod hoofs they will fly
Keep a watch out this Christmas
For that white horse in the sky

Hush now baby
One day we’re gonna ride
Hush now baby
Our white horse through the sky

Hush now baby
Let every angel sing
Hush now baby
One day we’ll ride again

• Words & music by Linford Detweiler
  
• Stream OTR’s Christmas album free here. (more…)

Peter Bannister is a modern classic composer who takes theology seriously.

Concerning his recent oratorio Et iterum venturus est (And He shall come again), he says:

The historic creedal statement…reminds us that the Christian faith not only calls us to remember the Word’s becoming flesh but also to live in anticipation of Christ’s return. Et iterum venturus est is conceived as a work pulled in the “two directions” … focusing on Christ as both the promised Savior and Judge of Christian eschatology.

For a long time I have felt that during the liturgical season of Advent (which will be the context for the first performance of the piece in December 2008) a great deal of attention is paid to recalling the (not-so-burning) Babe of Bethlehem and relatively little to the Crucified and Risen Christ’s future coming in glory … ‘to judge the living and the dead’ in the words of the Creed.

The danger of this is that the awesome, unfathomable mystery that is the Incarnation becomes domesticated, dissociated from the transformational call to repentance and its implications for both our individual lives and God’s world.

While being careful to avoid any kind of speculation on the time-frame for the parousia, I intend to juxtapose scriptural texts regarding these two comings of Christ within one work in order to demonstrate their inseparability within the Biblical witness and…to interpret the past in the light of the future.

The video above (also viewable on YouTube here), Peter reflects on the challenges he faced writing Et iterum venturus est, discussing the intrinsic connection between music and spirituality and how he realized the necessity of linking profound theological reflection with challenging musical scores.

Click here to download an interview with Peter Bannister by Greg Wheatley that aired on Moody Radio.

HT:  Chandler Branch, Soli Deo Gloria

Struggling with the inherent materialism of the Christmas season?

Here’s a simple solution:  Give an amount equal or greater than what you spend on yourself and family.

In his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, the apostle Paul ended his address by saying, “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”  And then he adds this:

I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.  You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

- Acts 20:33-35

Observe:

1.  Giving proves the authenticity of faith. Note Paul’s appeal here is not to his teaching but his deeds:  “I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.  You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities…”  Essentially, Paul is saying, “Judge the validity of my life and ministry not just by what I’ve said, but also by what I’ve done.”  When we give without expectation to receive, our faith is verified as true to those observing.

2.  Hard work finds purpose when providing for the weak. Now this is not the only purpose of hard work, but it was certainly Paul’s intent here with his labor.  If we work simply to provide for ourselves, we are missing the blessing of giving (which is next).

3.  Giving blesses the giver more than the receiver. Paul quotes here a beatitude from the Lord Jesus not found in the Sermon on the Mount, but one with the same authority.  Matthew Henry says it well:  Giving “makes us more like God, who gives to all and receives from none.”

If you want your Christmas:

• To authenticate your faith
• To provide greater purpose for your hard work
• To be blessed by God,

Consider giving to ‘the least of these.’

Here’s an easy way to do so.

How about making a difference in a poor family this Christmas?

For as little as $10, you can change a life, right where you sit.

Here’s some suggestions:

Clothe a teen – $25

Life saving medical kit – $75

Coloring kit & crayons – $25

Baby care essentials – $30

Mosquito netting – $10

More Gifts that Glorify here.

If you only buy one Christmas CD this year, I’d recommend Behold the Lamb by Andrew Peterson.

I’ve owned it for a few years and have found it a rich source of simple, profound songs that fit well into a variety of worship settings.

Stream free the entire Christmas album by Andrew Peterson here.

You can buy audio and printed music (plus blogs & other great free stuff, including an offer for ‘authentic toothy cow teeth for Christmas’) on Andrew’s website here.

Larry & Bob

This from USA Today:

“What if December looked different this year? What if we all gave Christmas away?” That’s the refrain from the theme song of a new Christmas video from VeggieTales, the animated children’s stories that share gentle Gospel messages…

VeggieTales teams up with Samaritan’s Purse for Operation Christmas Child this year:

U.S. director Randy Riddle says that despite the recession, the ministry will deliver a record 8 million boxes worldwide, including 5.2 million from U.S. families, up from 4.9 million last year.

Driving up the numbers, he says: singe Amy Grant crooning the theme song on radio and tie-ins with VeggieTales and the nation’s leading Christian retailer, Family Christian Stores.

Singer/songwriter Matthew West was commissioned by VeggieTales to write the song “Give This Christmas Away.”

Are you involved with Operation Christmas Child?

What is your church doing this year to impact the poor ?

Here’s an idea.

Or how about a gift that glorifies?

Photo cred:  Big Idea, Inc.

View on YouTube below or here.

Christmas Time, a new song by Brady White is now up on his MySpace page.

Brady and his wife Jen (a.k.a Wrent) wrote the song Believe, currently one of our free Harmony of Hearts songs for worship teams).

Please tell Brady hi when you visit (click banner below or here).