Many years ago St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, began a ministry they called "The Episcopal Ad Project." Over the years they put out thought-provoking posters that are more than subtle reminders about what our faith and practicing our faith is all about.

For instance, they have two rather good ones for Christmas. One depicts a very pretty Christmas scene. The caption underneath the scene reads: "Now that your kids can name the nine reindeer, shouldn't they be able to name the twelve apostles?"  The subtly of it all hits you over the head like a sledgehammer. Another Christmas ad depicts a lovable Santa Claus with the caption: "Whose birthday is it, anyway?" Those people from St. Luke's don't mess around.

They naturally have an ad for Easter. It shows a jelly bean-filled Easter basket with the caption: "Does Easter mean beans to your kids?" They have another one. It’s a floppy-eared, smiling Easter bunny like this one with the caption reading: "Who died for you, anyway?"

My first reaction to those Easter posters was the same as my first reaction to the other three posters: "Boy, that's neat. That'll get the message across." And it would. It does, does it not? When we clobber people over the head with guilt, we do at least get the message across. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that perhaps it was too neat, too cute, too preachy, maybe a little too heavy-handed, certainly a little too self- righteous.

I guess the reason why I react that way is that something inside me says that the people of St. Luke's are a little unfair to Santa Claus and to the Easter Bunny. Of course I know whose birthday it is we celebrate on Christmas. It’s Jesus’. Of course I know that the Easter Bunny did not die for me. Jesus did. I know that. You know that. Everyone knows that. It's not the Easter Bunny's fault that he sometimes gets top billing on Easter and not Jesus. That's not the Easter Bunny's fault. It is our fault.

Honestly, now, no one seriously thinks, even believes, that the Easter Bunny is more important than Jesus. And no one really gives him top billing -- not even our children. Sure they get more excited about what's in their Easter baskets than about the resurrection, just as they get more excited about their Christmas presents than about Jesus' birth among us.

So do I sometimes. I love to receive presents at Christmas and candy at Easter. And sometimes I will have to admit that I get up a little earlier on Christmas and Easter not so that I can get to church a little earlier to say some extra prayers of thanks to God for sending His Son among us to forgive my sins; but I get up earlier to see what Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny brought.

Now that may sound a little sacrilegious. But it is more sacred than sacrilegious. There are a couple of reasons why I think that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are more sacred than secular symbols.                                    

First of all the Easter Bunny -- and because this is Easter, let's just stick with Easter and the Easter Bunny; because what I say about Easter and the Easter Bunny I can say about Christmas and Santa Claus -- first of all the Easter Bunny is a sacred symbol. And he is a sacred symbol because he gives. In our imaginings, in the stories we tell our children, it is the Easter Bunny who gives us those goodies in our Easter Baskets. He takes nothing. The Bunny simply gives.

And isn't that what Easter is all about anyway? Isn't Easter about Jesus’ giving his life for our sins and God giving Jesus new life in and through the resurrection? Nothing is taken. Everything is given.

The Easter Bunny, it seems to me, symbolizes in a very earthy and humorous and joyful manner that to be about being an Easter person, that to be about being a Christian, we must be about giving -- giving of ourselves freely to everyone -- freely giving and not looking for rewards or thanks or pats on the back.

The Easter Bunny symbolizes anyone who gives of himself or herself to others simply because he or she wants to, who gives freely out of love. And isn't that what Jesus was all about all of his life, even to the giving of himself for us on the cross? And we cannot give anyone any more than our life, can we?

So the first reason why the Easter Bunny is a sacred symbol is that the Easter Bunny is a giver: a giver of what he is, of what he has; and gives that gift freely to others. And that is what Jesus was and did. And that is what you and I are meant to be and meant to do.

The second reason why I think the Easter Bunny is really a sacred symbol is that he doesn't fit. He doesn't make sense. I mean, come on, an Easter Bunny? Get serious. You have top be kidding. Believing in an Easter Bunny is like seeing pink elephants.

There are no such things as pink elephants and Santa Claus and Easter Bunnies are there? I mean, if we believe in the Easter Bunny, we will likely believe the story that the Son of God actually became man; and that after he was killed and buried, three days later he was raised from the dead -- alive and well. That's fairy-tale language. Only in fairy tales do dead men rise and God's become men and Easter Bunnies bring goodies to children. Only in fairy tales.

Do you see what I mean? Just as the Easter Bunny does not make sense in the real world of intelligent human beings, neither does the resurrection. Easter morning, however, our children wake up and are surprised by what some funny looking bunny left during the night. That first Easter morning a couple of women woke up and were surprised by what God left for them during the night: an empty tomb. There was no body, nobody, there -- only someone who asked why they were so surprised.

If at Communion time I placed a jellybean in your hand instead of the communion wafer, you would not only be surprised, you would be shocked. Well, Easter is a surprising and shocking celebration. It is a celebration of something totally unexpected. Who would believe it? Certainly not an intelligent human being. Kids, maybe, but not smart adults.

But you and I do believe just as our children believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. They no more understand the Easter Bunny than you and I understand the resurrection. But, you see, we are not supposed to understand. We are simply supposed to accept and believe and say thanks and celebrate the resurrection -- just as our children accept and believe and say thanks and celebrate the Easter Bunny.

No, the Easter Bunny did not die for me or for my children. Jesus did. But if the Easter Bunny can in some small way remind me that I should be joy-filled and thankful everyday of the year, that I must be a giving person every day of the year, that I must love everyone every day of the year -- because Jesus was born for me, died for me, was raised up for me --then thanks be to God for the Easter Bunny. Thanks be to God for Jesus.  Thanks be to God for Easter.

Happy Easter.