Dreaming Of A Better Future
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
There’s an old story from the 14th century that preachers love to use about the builders of the great cathedral in Milan. A traveler passing through the city stopped to ask three stonemasons what they were doing. The first replied, “I’m cutting stones.” The second said, “I’m earning a living.” The third, looking up toward the unfinished walls, answered, “I am building a cathedral.”
The difference wasn’t in the work itself—it was in the way they saw their place in it. Some people see only the task in front of them. Some see the system that sustains them. And some—some see the future they are helping to create.
Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to sound the alarm bells on what is happening in the United States and world at large. I’ve tried to place these warnings within a theological frame so that we could locate ourselves in the long-known pattern of authoritarian oppression (Pharaoh, Rome, Empire) and recognize that this is not the way of God (prophets, Jesus, every world religion).
I also recognize that naming what is wrong doesn’t fully help us create what is right. Given the destruction reaped upon us, it’s easy to feel like we’re just cutting stones, barely holding things together in the face of so much uncertainty. The headlines wear us down. The decisions of those in power leave us heartbroken. Some days, it’s hard to believe that care for the common good - for people and the planet - are possible.
But now speaking as a Futurist, I have to remind us that we have agency to create the future through the actions we take in the present. These are days that call forward the dreams, schemers, prophets and planners. While many of the “leaders” of the world are tearing everything down, the rest of us can be building something better.
There’s an old concept in Jewish thought called tikkun olam—the repairing of the world. The idea isn’t that we’ll wake up one day to a perfectly just world, but that every act of kindness, every moment of resistance to oppression, every effort to mend what is broken adds up. The future isn’t waiting for us. We are co-creating it, piece by piece.
Think about the people who are already living in the world we long for:
The communities practicing radical hospitality, welcoming the refugee, feeding the hungry, housing the unhoused.
The scientists restoring rivers and planting forests,
The farmers giving up on “Big Ag” and embracing regenerative farming methods that heal their land,
The congregations building mutual aid networks and alternative community economies,
The healers holding grief support groups and reminding us to tune in to our bodies,
The teachers who see their students not just as test scores, but as future leaders, artists, and healers.
A future which cares for people and the planet is breaking through, in small ways, in quiet places, in the hands of those who are building something bigger than themselves.
What if we stopped thinking about the future as something far off, something we can only hope for? What if we chose, today, to live as if the world we dream of is already taking root? What if we stopped cutting stones and started building cathedrals?
Obviously, I am preaching to myself.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do you see glimpses of the future you long for already unfolding?
What is one small, tangible way you can embody that future today?
Who in your life inspires you with their vision of a better world?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for Builders of the Future
God of what is and what will be,
Give us eyes to see beyond the immediate,
To recognize the foundation we are laying for something
More honest
More compassionate
More equitable
More just.
When despair whispers that change is too slow,
Remind us that every act of love, every pursuit of justice,
Is a stone in the cathedral of tomorrow.
Make us bold, make us faithful, make us builders,
Of a just future,
For all creation.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Building with Your Hands
Today, take something into your hands—something tangible. Maybe it’s baking bread, planting a seed, repairing something broken, painting a picture, or sketching a vision of the future you long for. Immerse yourself in the act and art of creation.
As you shape this “scaled model of the just and generous world,” let this be a reminder that change is not abstract. The world is shaped by what we do with our hands, our hearts, our time.
And as you work, ask yourself: What am I building?
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
March 11, 18, 25 2025, 7-8:30pm - Dr. Matthew Fox and I are hosting a Lenten series that we are calling “From Darkness to Dawn: Spiritual Courage and Political Action in the Age of MAGA.” Our first session (recording available) was with modern mystic, Mirabai Starr. Andrew Harvey is our next guest on March 11! The amazing Bishop Yvette Flunder on March 18! Father Adam Bucko on March 25! REGISTER HERE!
April 1, 2025, 12pm ET - Rev. Damien Lake and I are collaborating on hosting a cohort for new congregation developers that will meet monthly. Ecumenical. Interfaith. Free. Join us.
April 1, 2025 - Rabbi Benjamin Ross and I are collaborating on a new leadership program called “All Together Now: A Collaborative Cohort for Jewish Congregational Leadership Teams.” You can read about the program here.
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.
I have one foot in paying attention and mitigating damage in those very small areas where I can and my other foot in 'what comes next' which is an opportunity to co-create a more just, equitable and sustainable culture. Something of a balancing act but it's a path in the darkness-
My own sense of deep trust is not rooted in the future, in human capability, or even in the survival9& the human species. For me the real meaning of life is to live in loving relationship with Mother Earth as the very body of God, and with all creatures - more-than-human and also human. This is an intrinsic good. This is the Pearl of Great Price.. this is the Kin-dom of Heaven. The past does not determine it, and future outcomes cannot take it away. In loving relationship, I do try to make a way for life as best as I can, knowing full well that ultimate outcomes are not in my control, and that individuals death and species extinction are a part of the generative process of the One Divine Body of God. We are all folded in, and this is beyond our comprehension. We belong and we are beloved eternally. I believe that if our trust in God does not include own death and the extinction of our species, then we do not trust God fully. I believe in resurrection, but I do not comprehend it. I live a loving life because God is Love. Jesus showed us who God is and how loving God is. We can be like Jesus. Then we - and our species - will die. What comes after that is a matter of speculation for us, I believe. I trust God for that, without needing to comprehend it or put it into a little philosophical or theological box. A better future is certainly a good thing to think about and work for, but our faith is not built on a better future that we dominate or control. We will be fully present to all in the better future - fearing nothing, hiding nothing, and loving all.