A Candymaker wanted to make a candy
that would be a witness for his Lord,
so he made the Christmas Candy Cane.
He incorporated several symbols for
the birth, ministry, and death
of Jesus Christ.
He began with a stick of pure white,
hard candy. White to symbolize the
virgin birth and the sinless nature
of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the
Solid Rock, the foundation of the
Church and firmness of
the promises of God.
The candymaker made the candy in the
form of a "J" to represent the precious
name of Jesus, who came to earth as our
Savior. It could also represent the
staff of the "Good Shepherd " with which
He reaches down into the ditches of the
world to lift out the fallen lambs who,
like all sheep have gone astray.
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain,
the candymaker stained it with red stripes.
He used three small stripes to show the stripes
of the scourging Jesus received by which we
are healed. The large red stripe was for the
blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we
could have the promise of eternal life.
Unfortunately, the candy became known as
a Candy Cane - a meaningless decoration seen
at Christmas time. But the meaning is still
there for those who "have eyes to see and ears
to hear". I pray that this symbol will again
be used to witness to the wonder of Jesus and
His great love thatcame down at Christmas
and remains the ultimate and dominant force
in the universe today.
