We See The Face of Lawless Power
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” — Amos 5:24
Here we are, friends, living in the days we hoped would not come, but that we must now faithfully face.
The U.S. Supreme Court ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongfully seized and disappeared to El Salvador, to be returned to the United States.1 The law is clear. The Constitution is clear.
Yesterday, through a performative meeting with the President of El Salvador, the Trump Administration refused.
This is not just defiance of a Supreme Court ruling. It is open contempt for the rule of law. We cannot pretend otherwise.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson explains:
“Let’s be very clear about exactly what’s happening here: President Donald J. Trump is claiming the power to ignore the due process of the law guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, declare someone is a criminal, kidnap them, send them to prison in a third country, and then claim that there is no way to get that person back.”
She then offers us all this warning:
“Once you give up the idea that we are all equal before the law and have the right to due process, you have given up the whole game. You have admitted the principle that some people have more rights than others. Once you have replaced the principle of equality before the law with the idea that some people have no rights, you have granted your approval to the idea of an authoritarian government. At that point, all you can do is to hope that the dictator and his henchmen overlook you.”2
Let us remember: when leaders become lawless, it is never random. It is always purposeful. The disappearance of Kilmar is not a policy disagreement. It is a test of power. It is an authoritarian move designed to see: Will the people accept this? Will they look away?
We do not look away.
This week, as Christians around the world enter Holy Week, we remember another time when a corrupt regime flexed its might and tested the people’s resolve. Palm Sunday was Jesus’ nonviolent march on Jerusalem. He entered the city not with weapons, but with the courage of truth and the power of love.
The very next day, he went to the temple and overturned the tables of the money-changers—the collaborators who had turned a place of prayer into a marketplace of oppression.
If you want to know the joy of Easter, you first have to wrestle with the reality of Jesus’ public theology and the violent rejection of the ruling authorities. His resurrection hope was not naïve. It was forged in the fire of authoritarian threats. It is the kind of hope that looks cruelty in the eye and says, “I believe you. I see your power. But I know a force more powerful than you.”
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not just one man in a faraway prison. He is our neighbor. He is a child of God. He is a living symbol of the dignity that Empire cannot erase. He is also not the last to be illegally deported. "The homegrowns are next," Trump told Bukele in the Oval Office. "You gotta build about five more places. ... It's not big enough."3
Walter Brueggemann teaches that the prophetic task is to hold out an alternative world, to refuse to accept the world that Pharaoh insists is real.4 Today, we are called to that same prophetic task.
We cannot let them normalize lawlessness.
We cannot let them hide the disappeared in silence.
We cannot let fear turn us inward.
Our ancestors walked this road before us. Now it is our turn to walk it, too.
We are in this together,
Cameron
PS - We are entering some hard, hard days ahead. We need to be honest about that. But we also have to keep our grounding. We have to find joy. Comedians are heroes for these times - prophets, artists, therapists. So, here is a clip from SNL that is brilliant and well worth a watch:
Reflection Questions
How can you be part of holding an alternative world open, in small and courageous ways?
Where is your heart being called to resist despair and practice defiant hope today?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for Kilmar, and for Us All
O God of the exiled and the disappeared,
O God of justice and fierce mercy,
We cry out for Kilmar Abrego Garcia and for all who have been stolen away.
Hold him in your holy grip.
Hold his family in your holy light.
Hold us all in the clarity of courage.
When power mocks justice, steady our voices.
When corruption struts unashamed, steel our resolve.
When fear gnaws at our hearts, kindle the fire of resurrection hope.
Remind us that Pharaoh never has the final word.
Remind us that no empire can bury the truth forever.
Remind us that your justice rolls like mighty waters.
And remind us most of all, that we are not alone.
Not in this struggle. Not in this heartbreak. Not in this holy work.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Walk the Way of Courage
Today, take a moment to step outside—literally.
If you are able, take a walk. With each step, say quietly or aloud: “I will not look away.”
Visualize Kilmar. Visualize all those who have been disappeared into the shadows of corruption. Imagine them walking with you, step by step, reminding you that we are bound together in this great web of life.
Then, write or call an elected official. Speak to a friend. Let your witness be known. Speak their names. Name the injustice. Refuse the erasure.
As you go about your day, remember: Resurrection is a verb. It creates possibility with every small step toward courage and truth.
You may feel weary, but you do not walk alone.
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.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/scotus-orders-trump-administration-to-facilitate-return-of-wrongly-deported-man/
https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506449302/The-Prophetic-Imagination
Thank you Cameron for writing, questioning, praying, and grounding in spiritual practice. More than any one, you keep me grounded, sane and going in. I pray for you as "we are in this together."
The last two days are full of sadness for me. I was wondering where it would be happening; not if rather when. And now the messy part begins. We have been here before as people of faith. I reflect on Jeremiah 7 and 8 in conjunction with Holy Week and Jesus last days. It must get darker before the dawn. And the call is strong. From Isaiah 58 through the examples of Acts 4 and 12 and 16 time and again love and acceptance win. The blood of the martyrs will still be spilled and it is not in vain. As we hear rumblings of succession here in Western Canada again, take courage that many of us here are with you in prayer and in spirit. Courage and blessings for the journey to Easter.
Rev. Scott Brown, Canada