Shouldn't the Shepherd Feed the Sheep?
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” — Ezekiel 34:2
President Trump’s latest financial disclosures are…telling. They show he earned billions of dollars from cryptocurrency ventures, licensing deals, and businesses that grew while he was in office. Economist Paul Krugman says some of these crypto ventures look like a classic “pump and dump” scheme: political influence drives up value, investors jump in, and those at the center end up with huge profits.1 In this case, over one million Trump supporters lost over $3.8 billion dollars.2 The coin was trading at $1.76 as of Friday, down 97 percent from its peak price of $75.35.
The numbers are shocking and shameful. But what really sticks with me is a question the prophet Ezekiel asked nearly 2,600 years ago: “Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” In other words, shouldn’t a leader serve his people instead of fleece them?
Ezekiel wrote during one of Israel’s darkest times. Jerusalem had fallen and the nation had collapsed. Many blamed foreign armies, but Ezekiel looked elsewhere. He focused on the leaders.
“The weak you have not strengthened,” he wrote. “The sick you have not healed. The injured you have not bound up. The strayed you have not brought back… but with force and harshness you have ruled them.”
Then comes a line that has echoed through history: “You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool… Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” (Ezekiel 34:2–3)
The worst kind of corruption isn’t bribery (which is bad). It’s when a leader forgets their true purpose. A shepherd is there for the flock. A judge is there for justice. A teacher is there for students. A pastor is there for the congregation. A president is there for the people.
When a role meant for the common good turns into a way for someone to get rich, it’s more than just corruption. The institution itself is turned upside down. It starts serving the leader instead of the people.
That’s why this moment is notable. It’s not just about one politician’s wealth. It’s about what society starts to see as normal. Every democracy depends on a fragile agreement: public power should serve the public. If that agreement is broken too often, people start to expect leaders to look out for themselves. Cynicism becomes normal, and serving others starts to seem naïve.
Ezekiel rejected that kind of cynicism. He said leadership isn’t about owning, but about caring for others. A leader shouldn’t be judged by how much wealth they gain in office, but by whether the people they serve become healthier, freer, safer, and better able to thrive. This question goes far beyond politics.
Each of us is responsible for something. A family. A congregation. A classroom. A business. A neighborhood. A friendship. Sooner or later, everyone in a position of care faces the same temptation. Will this relationship exist to benefit me, or will I give of myself so others can thrive?
Jesus knew Ezekiel’s words well when he said, “I am the good shepherd.” He wasn’t being sentimental. He was directly rejecting leaders who had forgotten the true purpose of leadership.
Maybe that’s the question we should take with us this week. It’s not just about whether our leaders are serving us well, but whether we remember what it means to serve.
Every institution ends up reflecting the people in it.
Every small act of faithful care is a way of refusing to let the shepherd take advantage of the sheep.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Ezekiel asks a simple but searching question: Who is feeding whom? Where do you see institutions that have forgotten the purpose for which they were created?
What people, responsibilities, or communities have been entrusted to your care? How might you shepherd them with greater integrity and generosity?
Jesus called himself the “Good Shepherd.” What qualities of his leadership stand in contrast to the leadership models our culture often celebrates?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Faithful Shepherds
God of justice, You entrust us with lives that do not belong to us. Teach us to lead without possessing. To serve without seeking reward. To hold power without clinging to it. When ambition tempts us, restore our humility. When fear hardens our hearts, restore our compassion. And when we forget why we were entrusted with the care of others, call us back to the ancient work of feeding the sheep. May our lives become places of refuge, strength, and generosity for all who pass through them. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Tend What Has Been Entrusted
Sometime today, make a list of the people, communities, and responsibilities that have been entrusted to your care. Perhaps it is your family. Your congregation. Your colleagues. Your neighborhood. A friendship. A classroom. Even a garden.
Beside each one, write two brief answers:
What does this relationship need in order to flourish?
What would it look like for me to feed rather than be fed by this responsibility?
Do not judge your answers. Simply notice where your attention goes. Then choose one small act of generosity that strengthens someone else’s life without advancing your own interests.
The prophets remind us that societies are not renewed by grand gestures alone. They are renewed each time a shepherd remembers why they were called.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
July 14, 11:00 - 12:30pm ET - Community Conversation on The Commons - Margaret Wheatley will be joining me for a conversation on how we build “islands of sanity” in a world that feels increasingly fragile. She has identified five pillars in the architecture of resilient community. For those of us wishing to form and be in healthy community with others in this time, you don’t want to miss this conversation. REGISTER HERE.
July 28 - September 1, 2026, 12:30-1:30pmET - Book Club in The Commons - FREE - We are reading our next book, “I Eat The Stars” by Sarah Wilson. We will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. It’s such great fun. I hope you will be a part. All are welcome! RSVP HERE.
September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on The Black Madonna: Sacred Wisdom for a World in Crisis with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. We will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and REGISTER HERE.
October 6, 2026 - 7-8:30pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - Matthew Fox and I are teaming up again to launch a series called Journeying with the Mystics. The mystics have always emerged in times of uncertainty. They appear when old certainties are crumbling, when institutions no longer provide easy answers, and when people find themselves longing for a deeper experience of the Sacred. Join us for an 18-session exploration of the teachings of St. John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, Kabir and Rumi, Meister Eckhart and more. This is more than a lecture series. It is an invitation into a living spiritual journey. REGISTRATION COMING SOON!
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
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 section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
June 29, 2026, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.
My friends over at Spiritual Wanderlust have some of the coolest classes. One I am particularly drawn to is their Celtic Spirituality School where you get to learn from people like John Philip Newell, Ilia Delio, Carl McColman, Sharon Blackie, and more. Read more about their program.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/04/us/politics/trump-coin-crypto-investors-loss.html?eafs_enabled=false