Monkey Hijinks! …Hello weekend readers. My mom was with us for 2 weeks. She left northern Wisconsin in sleet and 10 degrees below zero. She cherished every moment of our Arizona sun—sitting outside and loving the beautiful scenery, including our two Great Horned Owls. We showed her how to sing to them with a “who-who-who-whoo”– it was hilarious and they sang back to her! She also found a way to speak with the hundreds of quails as well as the doves. I told her that we have a lot of birds that steal stuff so keep your munchies well covered. But mom had to share her goodies with them—it made a mess, but she loved it and the birds loved her so there you go. Mom left on Feb. 12, going home to ice and 10 inches or more of snow-she wasn’t happy about the weather but I told her to cherish her Arizona time.

My musings about my mom brought me to a funny story in my daily Smithsonian email. I learn a lot from the “Smith” finding stuff that is interesting, like Monkeys who steal stuff! The story comes from the popular London Zoo. They have rainforest monkeys and the cute Colobus monkeys. People love them, they flock to see them, especially to see the newborns. However, there is a downside with all this monkey-business and it’s been going on for many years. Monkeys like eyeglasses and they steal them off your face. The zoo paid visitors for their stolen glasses—it was getting expensive! Primate caretakers did their best but it was a puzzle. Was it the reflection off the lenses that provoked the theft?

No one could figure it out, so they called in an expert: small mammal biologist Kenton Kerns, a monkey specialist. After a year in study there were several things he brought to light and it made sense and it was hilarious as well. First he told them: “Monkeys DO NOT like rules. They can’t read them and they are mischievous creatures and highly intelligent. Your problem here is the rules you have on that sign that says ‘Beware! These monkeys steal your eyeglasses.’ The monkeys don’t know what that means, but the people do and when they lean over to read the sign—which, by the way is way too low—the monkeys grab the glasses and off they go. I suggest you put the sign higher or don’t use it at all.” The end of the story? They took down the sign and very few people lost their glasses—or as they say in London, their spectacles!

The reason this story captivated me was because of what I am seeing today in our churches. It’s nothing new, but it is getting more politicized, right-wing nationalism with rigid rules that Jesus never commanded. Like the monkeys, if you tell your youngster their phone, computer, etc. is off-limits what happens? It piques their curiosity and they will steal it back! Good measures are needed, but there are also ones that aggravate a situation which ends in unintended consequences. Have you every spoken with folks who are not believers and you told them this is what they MUST DO? It doesn’t turn out very well does it. We, and many others, left a church because they said we must follow their political views for who should be our new president. In fact, they even hinted that this person was a prophet given from God and we are obligated to follow his rules. Really? That doesn’t sit well with Scripture!

If we want people to love the Lord, rules will not do it. The Apostle Paul made that very clear in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 [CSB]: “For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Friends, we should never tell them they have to do it “our way—our rules.” Instead, we give them Jesus! And when we do, the Holy Spirit is there working through their hearts and minds, filling their souls with the joy of knowing Christ! No monkey-hijinks here, just give them Jesus, because Jesus is enough! OK? – AMEN!