The Candy Cane

Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White is for my Savior

Who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus My Lord, that's for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

Many years ago, a candy maker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time

that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith.

He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry

and death of Jesus. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy;

white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus;

hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the Church;

firmness to represent the promise of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J"

to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior.

He thought it could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd,

with which he reached 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 true meaning is still there for those who have

eyes to see and ears to hear.