In The Middle of the Light
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” — John 1:5
“A little light pushes away much darkness.” — Talmud, Chullin 60b
There’s a story I’ve been thinking about this week.
A woman lives in an apartment building where the power goes out often. It drops just enough to interrupt dinner, silence the hum of appliances, unsettle sleep. After the first few times, she stops being surprised. She keeps candles in a drawer and matches by the stove.
One night, the power goes out again. She lights a candle and sets it on the windowsill. Across the courtyard, she notices another light appear. Then another. They aren’t coordinated. No one planned this. It’s just neighbors doing what people do when the dark comes and there’s no guarantee it will pass quickly.
No one pretends the outage isn’t real. No one insists the candles are enough to fix it. But the building looks different now—less isolated. Less afraid.
This is where we are.
Christians are deep into the waiting of Advent. The long nights have already tested our patience. The prayers have been said more than once. The ache hasn’t lifted yet.
Jewish communities are not just lighting the first candle of Hanukkah. They are mid-story, adding light night after night, not because the world has grown safer, but because fidelity matters precisely when it hasn’t.
Many spiritual seekers—inside and outside these traditions—find themselves somewhere in between: longing for meaning, not knowing who or how to trust, still choosing to show up.
What unites these moments is not belief, but practice.
Advent, at its core, is not sentimental. It is a discipline of staying awake in a world that numbs itself to survive. It remembers that hope—Immanuel, God with us—is not optimism; it is attention. It is refusing to declare the darkness permanent. It is keeping our eyes peeled for the quiet, often overlooked movements of God.
Hanukkah, at its core, is not about victory. It is about fidelity. The candles are lit not because the world is safe, but because the world is not. Light is added deliberately, one night at a time—not to overwhelm the darkness, but to insist that it does not get the final word.
Neither tradition promises that the waiting will be short. Neither suggests that light is easy to sustain. They meet us here—in the middle.
In the middle of grief we haven’t metabolized.
In the middle of violence that keeps repeating itself.
In the middle of fear that looks for scapegoats.
In the middle of a world that feels meaner than it should.
And still, candles are lit.
Still, people wait on purpose.
Still, stories are told that insist the future is not foreclosed.
What matters now is not whether we are hopeful enough. It is whether we are faithful enough to keep practicing. Lighting another candle. Keeping watch another night. Refusing the lie that darkness deserves our silence.
The woman in the apartment never knows when the power will come back. But she knows this: when she lights the candle, she is not alone. When others do the same, the darkness loses its claim to isolation.
That may be the most honest spiritual posture available to us right now—not triumph, not despair, but shared perseverance.
We are not at the beginning.
We are not at the end.
We are in the middle of the light.
And that, too, is holy ground.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where are you being asked to keep practicing—waiting, lighting, showing up—even without guarantees?
Who else might be lighting a candle near you, even if you haven’t noticed yet?
What does faithfulness look like for you in the middle, not at the beginning or the end?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Those in the Middle
Holy Mystery, who meets us not only at thresholds but in the long stretch between, Be with us in the middle of waiting, the middle of grief, the middle of courage we didn’t know we had. When the darkness does not lift, teach us how to keep lighting what we can. When answers do not come, help us stay present to one another. Bless the small lights we tend— the rituals, the stories, the acts of care that keep dignity alive. May we not rush past this moment. May we not abandon it. May we discover that even here, you are near. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Mid-Season Practice: One More Light
Tonight or this week, light a candle (or pause with an existing source of light). Name one thing that has not resolved yet—and resist the urge to fix it. Then name one practice that helps you stay faithful anyway: a prayer, a conversation, a boundary, an act of care.
Commit to that practice for the next few days—not to change the world, but to remain present within it.
You are not behind. You are not failing. You are in the middle. And the light is still growing.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
January 6, 13, 20, 2026 - Protest and Action Chaplaincy Training with Rev. Anna Golladay. This live, online training offers a framework for providing compassionate, grounded spiritual care during protests, advocacy gatherings, and social movements. Learn more here.
January 15, 2026, 7-8pm EST - FREE Online Webinar: When the Internet Hurts: The Hidden Online Dangers Facing Our Teens and How Faith Communities Can Respond, Join me in conversation with Sharon Winkler, survivor parent and nationally respected youth online-safety advocate. Sharon’s son, Alex, died at age 17 after experiencing cyberbullying and algorithmically targeted pro-suicide content. Since then, Sharon has dedicated her life to helping parents, educators, and faith leaders recognize online dangers and build safer communities for young people. Register here.
February 11th and 25, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
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.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This new section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
My friend and Buddhist teacher, Isa Gucciardi’s center, the Foundation of the Sacred Stream, has just released their 2026 calendar of events. I can’t recommend her courses enough. Check them out here.
Have you heard that Dr. Matthew Fox is taking a group to Italy?!? It’s a week-long retreat in Sardinia on May 25-30, 2026 focused on the theme of Awakening the Divine Human, rooted in the teachings of Matthew, C.G. Jung, and the ancient wisdom of the land. I so wish I could go, but I am already booked. You should consider it.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Truly, thank you and bless you for your fierce and gentle faithfulness to Love, and for beautifully you express it....
Thank you for this, I loved the part about “shared perseverance”. Shared perseverance is where we find our past victories but also is where our present peace and future triumphant lies. I remain hopeful that light isn’t always in turning in switches or even lighting candles but is rather found in the decision to not allow darkness to prevail.