On Valentines Day I gathered with thousands of others to name conviction that love is sacred gift.

We rallied at the State Capitol to show support for equal access to rights and inclusion for all families in Minnesota. After working across our state to defeat an anti-marriage amendment that sought to barricade rights for same-gender loving couples, we are a people.

We are a people who are gay and straight and Christian and Jewish and all gradations of rainbow goodness created by our God.

We are a people united in hope.

What we proclaimed at the rally was a fervent belief that in Minnesota, a state long graced by values grounded in respect for all, it is time to allow same-gendered couples to be legally married.

We value children and families. We know how vital it is that children are raised in stable and loving homes. We want all families to know the power of communal support.

We believe in the power of love.

I was proud to be one of the 130 clergy present. I was proud to have church members present. I was moved by the ways that the struggle for justice has created a people who will not be stilled.

And, when this state deconstructs barricades to full inclusion in community, I will be so very proud to be a Minnesotan.

It will be so.

The time is come.