Just last week, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end. But as many have scrolled past this news or even celebrated it, I am left unsettled by an important truth brought to light by the shutdown: that a deeply polarized country leads to political dysfunction and political dysfunction hurts vulnerable populations of people. While some may think of true bipartisanship as an unrealistic dream, this shutdown proves that bipartisanship is indispensable.
And if nothing changes, we may be just a couple of months away from facing another shutdown just like this one.
It is very easy for people to sit where they are and think to themselves, “man, if these people in Congress could just get their act together and talk to each other, we wouldn’t be in this position.” This thought is convenient because it is comfortable. We can look at others and point out all the things they are doing wrong, without actually changing anything about our own lives. And yet, when I walk through the cafeteria, I see that we are not so different from Congress.
In Congress, most Republicans and Democrats do not cross the chambers to talk to the other side. At Asbury, similar groups sit together – and there isn’t much mixing. In fact, I’ve even had people ask me why I choose to sit with some of the people I do. Most of the time, I sit with a group of people who believe very differently than I do about faith and politics, and sometimes I’m judged for that.
We can point fingers at the other side all we want, wishing that they would cross the aisle for the sake of unity, but talking about how divided we are doesn’t actually make us more united. If we want a more bipartisan Congress, we must first be willing to build relationships with people who are different from us. Unity does not begin on the Senate floor: it begins in dining halls, student centers and everyday conversations. If we are unable to cross the “aisle” in our own daily lives, we cannot expect our elected officials to do any better.
The shutdown may be over, but the people who missed paychecks, lost benefits or struggled to afford groceries are still trying to recover. And this is where the responsibility of the Christian community becomes clear. While we cannot individually fix Congress, we can step into the needs around us, needs that have only grown more visible in the aftermath of the shutdown.
Recently, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Larry Montgomery, who pastors a small church in his community while working for a missions organization here in Wilmore. What he said really stuck with me. “The desire that I believe all people have is to reach the lost or help the needy, to do the things that need to be done to serve Christ, to be the hands and feet of Christ,” he stated. “Sometimes you will hear people say ‘well the church needs to do this’ or ‘the church needs to do that’ but the reality is they are the church and therefore they need to be active in doing those things and so when they say the church, they are talking about themselves.”
It is really easy to say that “the church” needs to help those in need, but how often do you actually show up to volunteer? How often do you donate to food banks? Are you connected with the work that your local church is already doing? To quote Dr. Kevin Brown’s most recent chapel message, “Faith alone will save you, but if your faith is alone, it probably isn’t faith.”
Too often, we assume that “the Church” refers to an institution rather than ourselves as individuals. But if we truly claim to believe in the teachings of Jesus, then caring for people isn’t an option for the Christian: it’s a requirement. In the wake of the shutdown, there is no shortage of places to begin. Local ministries are stretched thin. Food pantries are seeing increased demand. Students on our own campus are navigating financial stress. These needs aren’t hidden — they’re in plain sight, so long as you choose to look around and see them.
This is why the conversation about bipartisanship and the conversation about Christian service are not separate. Both require us to look beyond ourselves. Both require humility. Both require choosing relationships over comfort. And both remind us that the first step toward fixing what is broken nationally is responding faithfully to what is broken locally.
Christians cannot prevent another shutdown, but we can refuse to be passive in its aftermath. We can choose to serve, to give, to listen, to build bridges and to step into spaces that feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable. If people are going to complain about the path that our country is on, then they must be willing to do what it takes to forge a new one.
As we move forward, my hope is that we stop waiting for unity to magically appear in Washington, D.C. and start practicing it here, at our tables, in our churches and across our communities. If we all assume that someone else will meet the needs around us, then those needs will never be met. Instead, we, or dare I say YOU, must live into the responsibilities that come with the Christian life.
Because if there is anything this shutdown has revealed, it is that our country is deeply divided and many people are hurting. And if our faith means anything at all, it must compel us to act before the next shutdown arrives, not after.
Our political institutions are messy. They are unpredictable and, quite honestly, they are unreliable. But you know what shouldn’t be? The Church.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
