A Different Kind of Victory
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?” —Micah 6:8
Yesterday, Canada made a choice—not just about domestic policy, but about global identity. In reelecting the Liberal Party, Canadian voters sent a message: fear will not rule them, pluralism still matters, and their neighbor’s descent into authoritarianism is not inevitable for their future. It was a quiet resistance, offered with ballots and belief.
Watching from the United States, many of us feel relief—and maybe even a flicker of hope. The winds of cruelty are blowing strong here, but across the border, a different current stirred. That, too, is part of the story now.
It reminds me of the prophet Elijah, who stood on the mountaintop waiting for God to pass by. There was a great wind, but God was not in the wind. There was an earthquake, then a fire—but God was not in those either. And then, finally, a still small voice. A whisper. A presence.
We live in an age of spectacle. In the U.S., authoritarianism is often theatrical, chaotic by design. It shouts to distract. It intimidates to divide. It governs through fear and punishes dissent with impunity. But what Canada’s election reminds us is that there are other ways of being faithful. Sometimes change comes quietly, like the sound of a pencil filling in a ballot. There is power in individual voices, in quiet collective integrity, in what Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called “moral grandeur and spiritual audacity.”
Heschel once wrote, “In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.” The Canadian people took that responsibility seriously yesterday. Their action won’t undo all the harm unfolding globally, but it gives us a glimpse of what is still possible when people refuse to forget who they are.
Not all hope comes in thunder. Sometimes it comes in ballots. Sometimes in bread shared at a table. Sometimes in small, brave acts of remembering what it means to be human. Thank you, Canada, for showing the world the way.
Let us not grow weary. Let us grow wise.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
When have you felt hope stir in quiet ways?
What helps you stay rooted in your values when the noise of fear grows loud?
How can you practice “moral grandeur and spiritual audacity” in your life this week?
A Prayer for the Day
For the Quiet Ones Who Believe
Holy Presence,
Thank you for the people who show up because it’s right.
Thank you for quiet acts of courage and the slow work of repair.
Give us strength when despair tempts us to quit.
Give us wisdom when noise tries to confuse.
Make us brave, humble, and awake.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Be the Still Small Voice
This week, carve out time each day to listen—to your own conscience, to someone you disagree with, to the ground beneath your feet. When systems are loud and disorienting, this kind of quiet listening becomes a spiritual act of resistance.
Start by taking five minutes of silence each morning. Sit with your feet on the ground, your body relaxed, and your heart open. Let the noise fall away. Ask yourself: What is mine to tend today? What is mine to refuse? Let whatever rises come without judgment.
Throughout the day, when the world feels overwhelming or noisy, return to your breath. Touch the stillness you cultivated in the morning. Remember that you are not here to match the chaos, but to offer coherence. You are not here to be consumed by fear, but to channel compassion with courage.
We resist not just with action but also with how we live, speak, and stay present, awake, and deeply human.
Let your life be that still small voice. Trust that it matters.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
May 19-22, 2025 - Preaching and Worship FREE Online Summit: From war to genocide to a global climate crisis to a nation that perpetuates racism, misogyny, transphobia, and more from the highest office in the land, how do we prepare a sermon, a liturgy, a song, a prayer? Learn from some of our best preachers. REGISTER HERE.
June 4, 2025, 12pm ET - Jeff Chu has written a new book on a topic close to my heart: Soil! The title is “Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.” I am so pleased to be interviewing him. Together, we’ll explore what it means to cultivate “good soil” in our lives, our communities, and our spiritual practices. I hope you will register. Your registration includes a copy of his new book.
July 20-25, 2025 - The Art of Wilding: A 5-Day Expedition in Wyoming for Women Leaders. Click here to learn more. Only one spot left!
August 11, 2025, 2pm ET - Dr. Andrew Root and I will be hosting a 6 part series on Spirituality in the Secular Age based on his research. The dates are August 11, 18, September 8, 15, and October 6, 13. Mark your calendars! More on this soon.
September 4, 4:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
As a Canadian, I am concerned and pleased with our results yesterday. A minority (just barely) is always better as it requires an amount of collaboration; something in short supply of late. We need to keep in mind two things. As the world's second biggest country geographically we need to be mindful of Psalm 24:1. Because it automatically should leads us to Luke 12:48. We have very large resources. We need to share. I would have liked to have a broader spectrum of political parties in parliament. That said, many of those voices will not be stilled. In my riding alone, we had some candidates on the ballot that were great. We had someone running for the communist party and a Marist/Leninist as well. Great to see. Oh, and I am blessed to live on Treaty 6 land. Our diversity will continue to be lifted because you are right. We are in this together. Rev. Scott Brown, Alberta, Canada
Thank you Cameron!!!
Yes, Canada spoke yesterday and hopefully we will see the necessary good change we need. However, we are a divided country by party lines. It seems, world wide that people don’t want to agree, don’t want to listen and we have to in order to survive.
We heard Pritzker and Murkowski speak of the need to fight and fear that has gripped America. Americans need to fight the fear to find themselves again.