A candymaker 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.
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