Sacred Lives, Shattered Land
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“You must not distort justice… Follow justice and justice alone.” — Deuteronomy 16:19–20
Two years ago today, in the early hours of October 7, the world watched in horror as armed militias launched a brutal attack on Israeli civilians, young people dancing, elders at home, families preparing to celebrate Simchat Torah. Children were murdered. Women violated. Entire families taken hostage. It was terror in its rawest form, and there can be no justification for it.
Two years later, many of those hostages remain in captivity. Their absence is an open wound, and their families’ pain is a wound the world must not ignore.
And yet, this anniversary is marked not only by remembrance, but by ongoing catastrophe.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a retaliatory campaign that has devastated Gaza, home to over two million people — half of them children. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to dust. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. Hospitals bombed. Refugee camps razed. People buried under the rubble while searching for food, water, safety — hope.
This, too, is terror. This, too, is indefensible.
A nation has the right to defend its people, but justice requires proportion. Morality demands restraint. Humanity insists that we not confuse retaliation with righteousness. Our scriptures — Jewish, Christian, Muslim — all insist: do not repay evil with evil.
To witness the scale of death and destruction in Gaza is to come face-to-face with the collapse of our shared moral compass. We are watching civilians, women, children, elders, labeled “collateral damage,” as if their lives are unfortunate arithmetic instead of sacred and unrepeatable.
This is not balance. This is not peace. This is not justice.
And yet, in too many corners of the world, including our own homes and houses of worship, silence reigns. Or worse: we choose sides so quickly that we stop seeing human beings altogether.
But God sees them. All of them.
The child in Tel Aviv whose parents never came home.
The child in Rafah whose home was turned to dust.
The hostage still waiting to be freed.
The mother still searching for her baby.
The father who holds both rage and ruin in his hands.
The elder who prays not for revenge, but for release.
None of them are expendable. None of them are collateral.
This anniversary is a call to mourn, but also a call to awaken, refuse dehumanization, lament without qualification and stop asking “Which side are you on?” and start asking, “Whose pain have I refused to feel?”
If we want to be counted among the peacemakers, we must recover our capacity to hold complexity and say with full hearts: the violence must stop.
Let October 7 not only mark a descent into horror. Let it be a turning point, a remembering of our deepest values. May we refuse to forget the humanity of those we’re told to fear and return to reason, compassion, and the sacredness of every human life.
Even now, especially now, peace is still possible, but only if we choose to remember what it means to be human.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where in my life have I been tempted to look away from suffering because it feels too complicated or far removed?
What narratives have I absorbed that cause me to dehumanize or distrust people on “the other side” of a conflict?
How can I bear witness to pain and still hold open the possibility of peace, dignity, and justice for all?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Those the World Tries to Forget
O God of the Wounded and the Waiting, Today we remember what should never have happened. We remember the violence that tore families apart. The terror that stole children from their parents. The cruelty that made enemies out of neighbors. And we remember what is still happening — Bombs falling, bodies buried, Lies shouted louder than truth, Hearts numbed by too much death. You are the God who knows every name — every Israeli hostage still in captivity, every Palestinian child buried in rubble, every elder still praying for peace. Do not let us look away. Do not let us become callous. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours — and bind us back together in the sacred work of healing. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Mourning Without Sides
Today, rather than rushing into newsfeeds or debates, begin by creating a small sanctuary, even if it’s just at your kitchen table. Light a single candle. Let its flame stand for every life lost, Israeli and Palestinian, hostage and child, elder and parent — all those whose names are known to God but often forgotten by us.
As the candle burns, close your eyes and breathe slowly. Let yourself feel the weight of what’s happening, even if only for a moment. Picture the faces you’ve seen in headlines: young adults at a festival, a child searching for water, a mother clutching a photo of her missing son. Don’t sort them into categories. Don’t rank their suffering. Simply hold them in your heart, together.
Then place a hand on your own chest and whisper, “I will not look away.” With each breath, imagine your heart expanding to make room for grief and for compassion, both at once. Allow yourself to mourn without choosing sides, to ache for every life lost, to become, if only briefly, a small vessel of God’s weeping in the world.
When you’re ready, open your eyes. Take one concrete step today to resist dehumanization — read a story from someone on “the other side,” donate to a humanitarian organization, or simply speak aloud a pray for peace. Let this be your act of remembering: that no one is collateral, and every life is sacred.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
THIS WEEK: October 8-9, 2025, 7-8:30pm ET ONLINE Event- Counterpoint: A Response to Peter Thiel’s Antichrist - For four straight Mondays, tech billionaire Peter Thiel is convening a private series in the heart of Silicon Valley on his obsession with the Antichrist. This peculiar and troubling theological fixation is not just eccentric—it reveals how his version of political theology and apocalyptic imagination are shaping the worldview of some of the most powerful people in the world. We cannot remain silent. As a counterpoint, join me and Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox, along with Kamala Harris’ former Communication Director, Gil Duran, for a powerful counter-narrative rooted in wisdom, justice, and authentic spirituality. REGISTER HERE.
October 18, 2025 - No Kings 2.0 Protest - Scholars of authoritarianism teach us that we need 3.5% of the population rising up to disrupt the rise of authoritarians. The last protest had over 6 million people in the streets in the US (more around the world) which was one of the largest protest in US history. We need to double that number. So here we go again. The movement builds. See you on the streets.
October 20-24, 2025 - FREE Online 5-Day Summit on “Made for These Times: Spiritual Leadership for a World in Crisis.” Political extremism. Climate collapse. Cultural fragmentation. People of faith across the globe are asking: How do we lead with clarity, courage, and compassion in a time like this? REGISTER HERE.
October 23, 30, November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and Luther Smith. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and my 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.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Today I remember Juliano Mer Khamis whose mother was Jewish and his father was Arab. He always described himself as 100% Jewish and 100% Arab. His mother founded Freedom Theatre for Palestinian children in Jenin. When she died Juliano gave up his career as an actor and took over the theatre. He ultimately became a martyr for the cause. JMK RIP.
Cameron I agree AND get frustrated when these tragedies are portrayed as starting on Oct 7th
The confiscation of Palestinian land, their oppression started 75 years ago. For 75 years the eradication of Palestinians has existed.
God have mercy on all!!!