The teacher asked her kindergarten class what sound a duck makes. The little boy’s hand shot up. “Aflac!” he said. He wasn’t kidding either. That was the only sound he had ever heard a duck make. American Family Life Assurance Company execs would be proud of the little boy’s knowledge. They would be happy too.

Of course, we all know what the Government Employees Insurance Company’s little gecko says and how he says it. We even know the accent of the gecko . . . even a caveman knows this! How can we ever look at a gecko again without thinking of the cute little guy who brags about his company’s insurance?

So two insurance companies use a duck and a gecko to get you thinking about them and what they offer you. Their offers come at a price, of course.

Another insurance animal

For two thousand years another group has been using a fish to remind people of their life assurance/ insurance plan. A fish! And this fish turns up in strange places. Some fashion the fish into gold designs and hang it around their necks. Others put the fish on their refrigerator doors. Probably most often you see this fish on someone’s rear bumper while you are waiting for the light to change.

If you spoke Greek about two thousand years ago and someone said the names “Jesus, Christ, God’s Son, Savior” in that order, you might think of the Greek word ixthus or ichthus. Nevermind the spelling differences. It’s the same thing in Greek: “Fish!”

In one carol at Christmastime all four of these wonderful names of Jesus are mentioned:

Jesus—“Jesus, Lord, at thy birth”
Christ—“Christ, the Savior, is born!”
God’s Son—“Son of God, love’s pure light”
Savior—“Christ, the Savior, is born!”
Ixthus! Fish!