The Reckoning Remains

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” ‑ Jeremiah 6:16

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Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

The government shutdown has ended. That’s welcome news. People need their paychecks. Children need meals. Seniors need medication. Communities depend on the services that hold life together. And yet, the resolution feels hollow, like a fire finally extinguished by the same hands that lit the match.

This shutdown was never going to go well—or end well. It was dysfunction in plain sight. In the meantime, people were hurt: needlessly, predictably. My friend saw her ACA premium jump from $967 to $2,254 in a single year. A 133% increase. No explanation. No accountability. Just the quiet cruelty of a system designed to serve interests other than the common good.

We are not okay.

And then, on the heels of the restart, came another wound: sweeping pardons for many who tried to overturn a free and fair election. Political operatives. Public officials. Architects of a brazen assault on democracy, absolved with the stroke of a pen. Immunity cloaked in impunity.

This is the dissonance we live with: a government that grinds to a halt over budget fights, yet bends over backward to absolve those who threatened its very foundation. The everyday needs of people—jobs, healthcare, food—are delayed or denied, even as power shields itself from consequence.

We’ve known for some time that our systems are fragile. But every so often, the cracks split wide enough to reveal the depth of the rot. The contrast between ordinary suffering and extraordinary clemency is almost too much to bear.

So we turn again to the prophetic tradition. As biblical scholar Dr. Renita Weems teaches, prophecy is not a cry from above but a voice rising from among the suffering. It is a word spoken in solidarity, not superiority. The prophet names injustice, yes—but only after walking alongside those who bear its weight.

Our task is not only to mark what has gone wrong. It is to imagine what might be possible. The late Dr. Walter Brueggemann spoke of prophecy as both truth-telling and future-dreaming. That summons still stands. Restarting government is necessary but not sufficient. The deeper work is rebuilding trust, reweaving solidarity, and refusing to let moral collapse become normalized.

We need a renewed political imagination, one where leadership is measured by compassion, not control; where justice is not delayed by procedure nor erased by pardon; where legality never substitutes for goodness.

The shutdown has ended. The reckoning has not. The prophetic call remains: to tell the truth, to stand with the suffering, and to begin building the world we long for.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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1. Where have I witnessed the dissonance between public harm and private protection in recent days?

2. How am I being called to stand in solidarity with those who suffer from systemic neglect or political cruelty?

3. What vision of public life—grounded in justice and compassion—am I being invited to imagine or help bring forth?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer For a People Who Remember and Repair

Holy One,
When our systems falter and our leaders fail,
When justice is delayed and truth distorted,
Draw us close to what is real and right.

You have always been a God who hears the cries of the people—
The ones without power, without platform, without pardon.
Hear them still.
Hear us, too.

Give us the courage to tell the truth,
The tenderness to weep with those who suffer,
And the wisdom to imagine something better.

Do not let our hearts grow numb.
Do not let our spirits be lulled into apathy.
Make us bold in compassion, and faithful in repair.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Stand Where the Cracks Are

Today, take time to notice where “the cracks” show up in our public life, in your community, or even in your own spirit. Where is something breaking open? Where has harm been ignored or papered over?

1. Write down one place where dissonance or injustice feels especially present.

2. Then, name one person or group affected by it.

3. Finally, ask yourself: What does solidarity look like here? What’s one thing I can do to stand beside them?

This practice is not about fixing everything. It’s about choosing not to look away. Let your attention become a form of faithfulness.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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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? REGISTER 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.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.