X Stands for Danger by Sharon Heagy

 

“Egad! Sherlock Hemlock here, the world’s greatest detective,

And I believe the letter following W is….

X marks the spot. X marks the crossroads.

Two straight lines crossing over in the middle.

That’s the letter you must see to find the treasure or the clue,

Or the x-ray machine that’s looking right inside of you

X is the letter without which one could not do.

X marks the spot. X stands for danger

Two straight lines crossing over in the middle

Saying, “Here’s the railroad crossing”

And sometimes it means there’s pirates

Or at worst it means there’s poison

And in case these thoughts of X are vexing you,

X stands for xylophone too.”

(Written by Joe Raposo 1971 - Sesame Street)

 

Yes, X is a dangerous letter, perhaps the most dangerous letter in all the world. It is a danger to all humanity. Gasp! It is a danger to all the unseen (mostly unseen) spirit realms. ‘You don’t say!’ Oh, yes. I do say! Every year, right about this time, we are reminded of the perils of X.

It begins late in the fall. Lights begin adorning houses and trees. There’s a shift in the music on the radio, a mellow pulse of joyful tunes. Television commercials are accompanied by ringing bells and other quiet, almost magical tinkling noises. And hark! If you listen closely, you may hear waves of familiar musical phrases and lyrics that speak of love, peace and joy that whirl on the breeze as you pass by the open door of a school or a church. The letter X is on its way. Beware. Beware, I say!

The letter starts popping up everywhere. On greeting cards, in light displays, in home décor and even in advertising for that most dangerous of all displays – the Nativity Scene! Oh, the humanity!

Yes, humanity, and the spiritual realm too!

Over 2000 years ago, ‘X’ came to earth as a baby boy in Bethlehem. His birth struck terror into unseen realms as the devil and his minions witnessed the beginning of their end. Victory over the eternal death they had planned for all humanity was being executed.

Shepherds in fields were petrified by an angel who told them not to be afraid. Then, after telling them about this X baby, a whole bunch of heavenly beings appeared! And they weren’t supposed to be afraid? Gives me shivers just thinking about it!

AND do you know what this angel said? He said, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is ‘X the, oh wait, I mean’ Christ the Lord.” (KJV Luke 2:10-11) My apologies, I just slipped into a little Greek shorthand. Please understand that X and P were often written together as ancient abbreviations for Χριστός, the Greek work for Christ. And, get this, sometimes they just used X and as a result Christmas became Xmas. Boggles the mind and makes you shudder, right? Are you shaking in your snow boots? Here’s the catch.

The baby X grows up and becomes a man who is also fully God. The x becomes a T, but more like a cross. A wooden cross to which X is nailed by his hands and feet in the barbaric act of crucifixion. Except it shouldn’t be Him on the cross, it should be all of humanity. Me. You. But He hangs there for every single one of us. Quite a debt we owe. But wait, there’s more. After He dies, He is buried and then He rises from the dead. And He’s coming for you. Right to your door, where He knocks. And waits.

You stand on the other side of the door imagining all you deserve because of the bad choices you’ve made and the horrible things you’ve done and you’re scared silly knowing He took your place. And He waits. You don’t want to open the door but your hand rests on the knob. And He waits. Your fingers grip the knob and your knees are knocking and your heart is in your throat and terrified you turn the handle. And He waits. Slowly you pull the door open, ready to take your lumps. And you get them, but not the lumps you expect.

In His embrace you find exactly the opposite of your expectations. You get a lump in your throat. You are enveloped in unconditional love. Your whole being is permeated with forgiveness, grace and mercy. You experience true peace and joy and if that were not enough, you gain eternal life. And you will never, ever, ever be alone again.

Or wait. Are you still standing at the door? Don’t be afraid. He is on the other side, waiting. The love He has for you and the healing in His hands for all your brokenness is beyond anything you can imagine. He is more than enough. Allow yourself to be blessed. Open the door and gain the greatest gift this Christmas. Enter in to the dangerous, magnificent love of Christ. If you need help, I can stand beside you and help you twist the knob. God bless and Merry Christmas.