The Cost of Abandoning Justice
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” —Proverbs 31:8-9
I normally don’t send a meditation over the weekend. I imagine hearing from me five days a week is a gracious plenty. But I, like so many of you, am so disturbed by what we witnessed yesterday in the Oval Office that I have to write to you. Sometimes I feel like I need a sanity check. I suppose this is me asking you, “Did this really just happen???”
Yesterday, the world watched as a meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky devolved into a shouting match, with Vice President J.D. Vance questioning whether Ukraine’s leader had shown enough gratitude for U.S. support. It was a clearly preplanned, “made for TV” ambush—an attempt to humiliate a leader whose nation is fighting for survival.1 It was a moment that laid bare the abandonment of moral leadership in the United States—a shift from standing with those resisting tyranny to aligning with those who seek to destroy them.
President Trump says, “I want peace.” No, he wants surrender.
Ukraine, a sovereign nation fighting for its very existence, does not owe thanks for receiving aid in a war it did not start. And yet, this moment reveals a deeper truth: Those who hold power without accountability will always demand subservience. It is not justice they seek, but control.
Throughout scripture, we see this pattern again and again. Pharaoh demanded obedience from the Israelites, dismissing their suffering. Nebuchadnezzar demanded absolute loyalty, throwing those who resisted into the fire. Rome crucified anyone who dared to challenge its authority. In each case, the people of God stood firm. They refused to bow to empire. They refused to let might determine what is right.
The United States has long claimed to champion freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. But yesterday, we watched those commitments unravel. To turn our backs on Ukraine now is not just a failure of foreign policy; it is a moral failure. We have reduced this relationship to a transactional ultimatum, demanding Ukraine’s surrender to Russia while the U.S. takes its minerals. It is shameful.
My uncle, who first taught me to fly, was a WWII fighter pilot. He was part of the war that established the international rules-based order.2 His generation stood up to Hitler and said, “No, you cannot invade your neighboring countries.” It was his generation that helped establish the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union. And because of their sacrifice, we have had nearly 80 years of relative global peace. All of that fell apart yesterday.
Trump tells Zelensky that he is risking World War III. No, Donald Trump, that would be you.
Theologian Walter Brueggemann reminds us that “the prophetic tasks of the church are to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion, to grieve in a society that practices denial, and to express hope in a society that lives in despair.”3 Today, let us hold firm in that prophetic task.
Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice. To abandon Ukraine is to abandon that truth. It’s to abandon principle. It’s to abandon all America has stood for.
But here we are.
Let us hold Ukraine in our hearts, not as a distant news story, but as a reminder that justice requires perseverance. That standing with the oppressed is never transactional. That our humanity is bound together, and what happens to one of us affects us all. Let us pray for the brave people of Ukraine.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where in my life do I expect gratitude before offering help?
How do I respond when I see injustice happening around me?
What does it mean to truly stand with those who suffer?
A Prayer for the Day
For Those Who Stand Alone
God of justice and mercy,
Be near to those who stand alone today.
To those who cry out for help and hear only silence.
To those who fight for their survival while the powerful look away.
Strengthen the people of Ukraine.
Give them courage, give them endurance, give them hope.
And awaken in us the conviction to stand with them—
Not for reward or recognition, but because justice demands it.
Let our prayers be matched by our actions,
And may we never grow weary in the work of just peace.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Standing with Ukraine
Take one tangible action to stand with the people of Ukraine. It could be educating yourself on the latest developments, donating to an organization providing humanitarian aid, writing to your elected representatives to demand continued support, or amplifying Ukrainian voices that are being drowned out by political posturing.
As you engage in this practice, reflect on what it means to be in solidarity with those who are suffering. Pray for the people of Ukraine as you take your action, holding them in your heart as real individuals—parents, children, elders—who are living through unimaginable loss and uncertainty.
Justice begins with presence. Even from afar, our choices matter. Let this be a reminder that in a world where power often betrays the vulnerable, we can choose to be the ones who do not turn away.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
March 4, 11, 18, 25 2025, 7-8:30pm - Dr. Matthew Fox and I are scheming a Lenten series that we are calling “From Darkness to Dawn: Spiritual Courage and Political Action in the Age of MAGA.” Modern mystic, Mirabai Starr, will be our guest on March 4! Andrew Harvey on March 11! The amazing Bishop Yvette Flunder on March 18! Father Adam Bucko on March 25! REGISTER HERE!
March 4, 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.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-vance-transcript-oval-office-80685f5727628c64065da81525f8f0cf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_international_order#:~:text=In%20international%20relations%2C%20the%20liberal,internationalism%20since%20the%20late%201940s.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/walter-brueggemann-s-prophetic-imagination-a-theological-biography-conrad-kanagy/19663421?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2oW-BhC2ARIsADSIAWo2BLY2G2Nvgo4S4IVuezhI3_tVGveLh9XEQwzvdvaF9UVYcQ3KYisaAtyQEALw_wcB
I also recommend this interview from On Being:
Thank you! I just read your meditation on the Dakini. “The true human adult gives everything for what cannot be lost”.
We need one another to do this. Your wise voice gives me support to strive to do all I can do as an old woman. Thank you for this Saturday meditation.
Thank you, Cameron, for your steadying voice.