Candy Canes

One of the most ubiquitous symbols of the Christmas season is the Candy Cane. The shape of the candy cane recalls the canes used by the shepherds, who were among the first to hear that Jesus Christ had been born. It also reminds us that Christ is the Good Shepherd. But beyond the shape, I want to talk about the colors. Traditional candy canes are made of white and red stripes. These are actually the same colors that can be found on barber poles. Barbers used to also perform surgeries and other medical procedures and so the red and white stripes symbolized the blood and the bandages. We can think of the red and white stripes on the candy cane as also representing Christ's power to heal. As Isaiah said, "With his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5). Christ is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep one by one and He is also the Master Healer. He has experienced our every cut and bruise, every illness and injury, every heartbreak and disappointment. He knows how to heal us. When we think of the candy cane, we can think of how Christ can heal us. But that is not all that Christ can do for us. Many times when Christ performed miraculous healings during His earthly ministry, He made a point of telling those He helped that in addition to being healed physically, their sins were forgiven. The candy cane is red and white. Going back to Isaiah, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). No matter how badly we have messed up, Christ's Atoning blood can wash away our sins. As we come unto the good shepherd, we can be made clean and whole and pure. Red line upon white line upon red line upon white line, with His stripes we can be healed over and over again, as many times as we need, and each time changed for the better, just like the colors on the candy cane are always spiraling upward.