Walls fell today

Spiritually speaking, today was a watershed. I did things I haven't done before. I learned to see people in public service as real people doing their jobs and not just abstract positions or roles. Walls fell.

You'd think this would be old hat for me. After all, I've prayed at candlelight vigils for death row inmates at the hour of their execution, marched and mobilized against nuclear war, lobbied my university's chancellor to divest from South Africa during apartheid, written letters on behalf of political prisoners for Amnesty International, and worked the Vote No phones on the marriage amendment.

I am no stranger to political activism.

But today was different. I was with the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, an interfaith group representing Christians, Muslims, and Jews from every legislative district in Minnesota. Eight hundred of us met with all our legislators in person, one at a time, to talk about how they could pass legislation that benefits people in need.

I talked with my senator about sex trafficking and asked her to support laws to treat girls picked up for prostitution as victims in need of treatment, not criminals in need of jail time. Did you know Minnesota has one of the worst records in the nation on sexual slavery? Turns out my senator went to school with Jeff Bauer. She's already signed on to the legislation.

I got to talk about the Governor's tax proposals with my representative who used to be a Republican and now is a Democrat but isn't party-line either way. I learned a thing or two about where we differ, and I believe he heard me.

I said walls fell. These were internal barriers. I'd always thought of political leaders in terms of their roles, their public personae, their sound bites and positions. Today I saw them in their offices, running to and from meetings, and listening to constituents. Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there—giving me their attention.

I heard them think out loud about things the way we would at church in a discussion about some theological issue where the stakes are high.

And I wondered: why have I though of politicians only as abstractions, not people? Lord knows I've known enough of them when they're not at work. But in this environment, they were real people doing real, meaningful work. And that work meant listening to us, to me.

And then I wondered some more: how many people look at churches and pastors the same way I've looked at lawmakers? What walls do people see when they look at a church, assuming the people inside are a particular way, have certain prejudices and ideas? What do they see when they look at me, a pastor? Do they assume I'm as unapproachable or set in my ways as I assumed my legislators to be?

I'm in a different place spiritually now than I was when I woke up this morning. I feel like my voice was heard, like it matters, like I've made a difference as a person of faith in a political world.