Candy Canes
Christmas Symbols • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
When you think of Christmas, what are some symbols that pop up in your mind?
Hand out candy canes
We are starting a new series for the Christmas season where we take some very popular symbols of Christmas and talk about why they’re a popular symbol, and how these symbols are helpful to our faith or the way we talk to others.
So, this week, we’re doing candy canes.
Candy canes were said to initially be invented in the 1670’s in Germany. A choirmaster was trying to lead a choir around Christmas and had a hard time keeping the kids in the choir quiet, and so he wanted to provide them with some candy so that they could sit still and stay quiet.
However, instead of just making a sugar stick and that’s it, he put some symbolism in it because he wanted the candy to mean something to the students.
What we’re going to talk about this week are those symbols.
White
White
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
The reason that the candy cane has a white stripe is because it was supposed to be an example of the purity and divinity of Jesus.
Why does this matter?
The reason why we should care about Jesus not having any sin is because Christmas would be useless without a sinless Christ!
The reason that Christmas happened was to have Jesus to come on earth so that we might be saved, but the only way that this could happen would be if Jesus was perfect.
If we believe in Jesus as a good guy or a good teacher, but not perfect, then He can’t do anything for us besides giving advice that we don’t take!
He would be like Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr. or some other good teacher.
Jesus can’t actually do anything if we just look at Him like a good dude.
But, if Jesus is the perfect God in the flesh, that changes things for us.
That means that He didn’t come down just to give some advice, but He came down to change everything.
Because you and I aren’t perfect! No one on earth is!
Not your parents, not your friends, not your girlfriend, they’re all sinners!
And so, there’s a disconnect between us and God. We’re broken creatures that are in desperate need of something new, and God’s the perfect and loving Creator who wants a relationship with us. We’re too far apart!
But when Jesus shows up physically, God removes that barrier.
No longer can God feel far away from us because He was WITH us.
He was born just like you and I, He lived a normal life, like you and I, but He did it as God.
Through Christmas, God showed that He was with us in a crazy, beautiful, universe changing way.
So, in Christmas, we remember Jesus’ purity, that when that baby was born, there was no sin in Him, because He is God in the flesh.
Red
Red
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The red stripe on the candy cane is a symbol of the blood that Jesus shed for you.
(Aren’t you glad it doesn’t taste like that?)
So, we know that Jesus is God, we know that He’s perfect, and we know that God is now with us, but that doesn’t change me, you know?
I’m still a broken creature in need of something more. I’m not just going to stop being broken because someone told me that Jesus was born. I need something more, Jesus had to be born for a reason, not just to be born!
And that’s where the cross comes in!
Jesus was born with the cross in mind! He arrived on earth so that He might save sinners like you and I, and so He was prepared from the beginning to go to the cross!
He was crucified so that He could take the place of sin for you and I!
Real quick, what is sin? Why does that matter?
That’s where 2 Cor. says that he became sin, even though He didn’t sin!
Because of that, He takes your sin and my sin on Himself so that we can be counted as righteous.
You don’t have to be broken anymore, because Jesus came so that He might save you. All you have to do is be covered by His sacrifice on the cross, you can give yourself to Him!
When you give yourself to Jesus, you can find the forgiveness that you never knew you needed!
And so, when we look at the white, we are reminded of the divinity of Jesus, whereas when we look at the red, we are reminded of the blood and sacrifice of Him on the cross.
The Shepherd Staff
The Shepherd Staff
The last thing that we’re going to talk about is the shape of the candy cane. It’s shaped like a shepherd’s staff
Some people say that the choirmaster who made it asked for it to be shaped that way because it looks like a “J” for Jesus, and I don’t know why but I just think that’s stupid. It’s also not true, he did it because it looks like a shepherd’s staff.
There’s a couple of reasons for this.
First, there were shepherds at the birth of Jesus, so it’s a helpful callback to that.
Also, Jesus calls Himself a shepherd multiple times.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
What does a shepherd do?
He takes care of sheep
He protects them
He feeds them
He makes them feel safe.
That’s why we are told in Rev. 7,
Revelation 7:17 (ESV)
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Jesus is our good shepherd! He’s the one who takes care of us, He guides us in the way that is right, and He loves us well.
We need to have a shepherd to point us in the direction to go.
Not only that, but Rev. 7 says that He guides us to living water.
We talked about that all the way back in John 4, but what He’s saying there is that He provides us with new life! He gives us a place to belong!
And He will wipe every tear from your eye.
God doesn’t just gloss over your hurt and your pain! He enters into it with you and heals you of your brokenness!
He heals you of the things that others have done to you, what you’ve done to others, and what you’ve done to yourself.
I have hope in my salvation because I know it’s not up to me, it’s up to the shepherd who loves me so much that He’s willing to die for me.
I bet you didn’t think candy canes meant so much did you?
Questions
What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Why does Jesus’ divinity and purity matter for the Gospel?
Why do you think the Bible calls Jesus a good shepherd?
Read 2 Cor. 5: 21. What does this mean to you? How can Jesus become sin?