A
candy maker wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, 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 the 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 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 that came down
at
Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the
universe today. |