The Candy
Cane
A Candymaker in Indiana 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 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 The Wonder of Jesus and His Great Love that came
down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the
universe today.