What Comes After the Breaking?
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:19
There’s no denying it anymore: our systems are breaking down.
As the stock market tumbles1, government services fail, leaders retreat from fear of retaliation, companies and individuals are attacked over “DEI,” university research is defunded, military generals are forced to resign, international allies are abandoned and independent inspectors are fired, we can no longer say that America is a functional democracy. In fact, yesterday, the United States was added to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist, which identifies countries that the global civil rights watchdog believes are currently experiencing a rapid decline in civic freedoms.2
It’s not just dysfunction; it’s something deeper. The institutions that once held us together are failing, and the people who should be safeguarding democracy seem either complicit or powerless. It’s disorienting, infuriating, and—if we’re honest—terrifying. When systems collapse, real people get hurt.
We know from history that every empire, every government, every structure built by human hands eventually reaches its breaking point. The old ways of power—hoarding wealth, demanding loyalty, exploiting the vulnerable—are not sustainable. But in the midst of collapse, something else is always being born.
The question before us is not just how do we stop this? but what do we build next?
If we believe that love is stronger than fear, that justice is worth fighting for, that the common good is still possible—then we must begin imagining and preparing for what comes after this breaking. We cannot just be critics of the present; we must become architects of the future.
Perhaps that’s our call in this season: to name what is falling apart with honesty, while setting our sights on what must rise in its place. To grieve, yes, but also to dream. To refuse to be consumed by despair and instead, to cultivate the values that will be needed when the dust settles—compassion, integrity, courage, and care.
We are not the first to stand at the edge of something crumbling. We will not be the last. If we keep our eyes open, we might just catch a glimpse of a better future, a more just and generous society possible for our children and grandchildren, built from the rubble of all we are destroying today.
That said, I fear we have a heartbreaking journey getting there. Well, I did say we should be honest. 🤷♀️
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
How do you navigate the tension between grief for what is breaking and hope for what could emerge?
What values do you believe must be at the core of whatever comes next?
How can you begin embodying those values now, even in small ways?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for What Comes Next
God of endings and beginnings,
We stand in the wreckage,
Watching what we once trusted crumble before our eyes.
We are angry.
We are weary.
We are afraid.
But you are the God of new things.
The God who brings forth life where all seemed lost.
Hold us in this in-between space.
Give us the wisdom to grieve what is breaking,
The courage to resist what is unjust,
And the vision to build something beautiful from the ruins.
May we be steady in love,
Fierce in hope,
And faithful to the work ahead.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Planting Seeds of the Future
When everything feels like it’s unraveling, it can be easy to focus only on what is lost. But even in collapse, we have the power to plant seeds for what will come next.
Today, take a small, intentional action that reflects the world you long to see. Maybe it’s offering help to a neighbor, showing up for a community event, writing a letter to someone in power, or supporting an organization doing good work. Maybe it’s as simple as pausing to remind yourself: I will not let fear dictate who I become.
Whatever it is, do it as an act of faith. Trust that even in the breaking, new life is taking root. Keep planting. The future is not yet written.
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!
March 12, 2025, 12pm ET - I will be joining Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral and Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, author of "Climate Church, Climate World," for a conversation titled “America in Search of a Soul.” The event is free. 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.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/09/stock-market-news-today-live-updates.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/09/watchlist-decline-civic-freedoms-civicus
Thank you for your reflections and for that prayer. Yours is one of the voices I find most comforting in this time.
Thank you Cameron!!!
There doesn’t appear to be much honesty these dark days.
Even here in Canada, the under belly of society is starting to rise but the fear of what is happening in America has people reflecting.
Hopefully we won’t go down that road because it has sparked a patriotism that I have not seen in many years.
As with Heather Cox Richardson, you both shed truth and light.
Bless you!!!