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 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 Sheperd" 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 that came down at Christmas and remains
the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.
