The Story of Bearington Bunny
To say that Jay Carty is an unusual communicator is a mild statement. Maybe a little nuts would be more accurate. Not a preacher, not a teacher, more a storyteller with a very important message. Where some deep preachers are too snoozy for the rank and file and where some humorists don’t have much to say, Jay’s stuff is generally regarded as an unusual blending of humor and profound content. A former Oregon state basketball star and LA Laker, Jay has dedicated his life to helping people say yes to God. Now, we hope you enjoy Carty’s contemporary classics.
Once upon a time in a very dense forest, there lived a bunny named Barrington. He was brown and white speckled, had one lop ear, he was furry and warm, and he loved to hop. Winter was special for him because he liked to hop and then turn and look at his tracks that he made in the snow, and he liked to make designs as he did that. He thought that was fun. But it was hard on Christmas because he was the only bunny in the forest that he knew, and he didn’t have any family to be with.
So on Christmas Eve, he was out making designs in the snow. And as he was hopping, he heard some commotion up in the trees, and it was the squirrels, and they were having a party and he said, “Could I come to your party? Could I huh-huh? Could I huh-huh? Could I huh-huh, please?” And the squirrels said, “Sure, you can come to our party. Can you climb trees?” And he said, “No, but I’m furry and warm and I can hop.” And they said, “But you got to be able to climb trees to get to our party.” And he said, “Well, I guess I can’t come then. Merry Christmas,” he said. And he hopped on, and he was pretty sad, and he didn’t bother to look at his footprints.
And the wind was blowing harder, and it looked like it might be a storm, and he heard the beavers having a party. And he said, “Hey beavers, it’s me. It’s Barrington Bunny. Could I come to your party? Could I huh-huh? Could I huh-huh? Could I huh-huh, please?” And they said, “Sure, you can come. Can you swim under water?” “Well, no, but I’m furry and warm and I can hop.” “But you got to swim under water to get to our house.” “Oh, Merry Christmas,” he said.
And he hopped on a few more hops in the wind was getting windier, and the snow was getting snowier, and he thought, “Ooh, it’s a good thing. I can hop and glad I’m furry and warm.” And he heard a party underground. It was the field mices, meeces, mooses, whatever a bunch of mices, mooses are. I don’t know what plural of mouses is. And he said, “Could I just come to your party? And …” The wind blew the words away and nobody heard.
And he hopped on two more hops, and he plopped in the snow, and he grabbed his little rear bunny’s foot, and he chewed on it, and he cried because that’s what bunny’s do when they’re sad, they chew on their bunny’s foot.
And he just closed his eyes for a second. And then he opened them, and in front of him was a great silver tip fur wolf with broad shoulders and yellow eyes that flashed fire, the most magnificent animal Barrington had ever seen. And the Wolf said, “Barrington, why are you sitting in this snow chewing on your bunny’s foot, crying?” He said, “Well, I’m all alone. It’s Christmas Eve, and I don’t have any family.” And he said, “Barrington, all the animals in the forest are your family. Think about that.” “Well, I’m just a crummy bunny. I can hop, I’m furry and warm, and so what? And I’m sad.”
And Barrington thought about for a second. And he closed his eyes, and he opened them, and the wolf was gone, and he dug around the snow, and he found a nice stick. And he wrote a note to the beavers, “Merry Christmas from a member of your family.” And he hopped down over to them, and he left it where they’d find it. And then he dug around. It wasn’t easy, the snow is deep. And he found some twigs and leaves and write to the squirrels, “Merry Christmas from a member of your family.” And he left it, and he just passed the mouse house. And it was really snowing hard and kind of white out, and Barrington got a little bit lost, and he’s thinking, “Boy, good thing I’m furry and warm and can hop. But even I might freeze.
And he heard a little squeaking sound, a little squeak, squeak, squeak. It was a little field mouse had gone out that morning, and he came back late, and he got lost in the storm. And Barrington said, “Hello over there. It’s me. It’s Barrington Bunny.” And the little mouse said, “I’m lost. I’m tired. Please, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.” Barrington said, “Don’t worry about that. I’m a bunny. I can hop, and I’m furry and warm. I’ll be right there.” And he hops over to him, and he parks it right next to the mouse. And he pulls up his soft tummy fur. You know bunnies have that tummy fur. And he gets to that field mouse, and he sets him on top of his little rear feet. And he tucks that bunny fur down on him. And then he nursles him. And he felt his little mouse heart going… (silence)
That little bunny goes to sleep. The little mouse goes to sleep under the warm furry bunion. Mom and dad field mouse did not sleep well that night. Their son wasn’t home. They knew he probably died.
Next morning, one of those pristine mornings in the forest, and when they found their son, what a Christmas they had. You can’t blame them for not noticing that little frozen carcass that was there, that brown and white speckled lop-eared bunny named Barrington. You can’t blame them for not noticing because their son was alive. And to this very day, to this very day, the beavers and the squirrels do not know that member of the family that left them those nice gifts that morning. But if you’d looked right there where the forest ends and the meadow begins, if you’d looked right there, you would’ve seen a wolf. Broad shoulder, silver tip fur, yellow eyes, the flash fire, magnificent animal. And he majestically walked across that meadow over that little frozen body. And he sat, and he kept watch. All that Christmas day until it was night. And then he stood and reentered the forest.
Now the wolf would be God, the bunny would be Jesus. And the mouse is you. And the difference between that mouse and perhaps you, the mouse knew he was going to perish. And Jesus comes along and says, “Here’s my soft tummy fur of my shed blood, crawl under here, and you’ll be safe.” And you can make this the best Christmas of your life if you would confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, God raised him from the dead, and you would be saved.
