Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: +1 646 558 8656
Rev. Howard Washington Thurman
November 18, 1899– April 10, 1981
OPENING PRAYER
Holy One, we come before you with hearts and minds open to receive the living message of your beloved mystic, Rev. Howard Washington Thurman. We pray in his words: “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace.” Teach me how to order my days that with sure touch I may say the right word at the right time and in the right way — lest I betray the spirit of peace. Let me not be deceived by my own insecurity and weakness which would make me hurt another as I try desperately to help myself. Keep watch with me, O my Father, over the days of my life, that with abiding enthusiasm I may be in such possession of myself that each day I may offer to Thee the full, unhampered use of me in all my parts as “an instrument of Thy Peace.” Amen.
VIDEO 1 Short Life of Howard Thurman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W1dm-9w-BQ
REFLECTION 1
A true mystic, from “mystery,” Howard Thurman, an African-American powerhouse of a man shared insights that came from deep in the well of his being, where he immersed himself in Holy Mystery. His gifts are from profound mystical experiences, which undergird his life’s work. Not simply an intense personal experience of the Holy One, Thurman’s mystical life overflowed like a river through diverse ways of sharing; from sacred poetry, prayerful sermons, inspirational influencer of powerful world ambassadors, university professor teaching and mentoring, and theologian-pastor. All of these powered by the spiritual energy from silent contemplation, where he allowed himself to catch on fire with love of our Beloved.
Contemplative prayer was the explosive source of his energy that propelled him to Social Activism unprecedented in our times. His contemplative life was the furnace that fired his belief that personal mysticism must result in our involvement in social actions that impact the suffering and injustice around us. He argued that “intense, daily spiritual renewal is essential for effective social action”. He taught that “radical nonviolence” was the tool for both social change and personal transformation. Thurman championed interfaith dialog and lived what he preached in this regard, resulting in a depth and breadth of social changes previously unsuccessful. He believed that mystical experiences could lead to a deeper understanding of one's place in the world and the potential for social change that seemed part of our culture that was unreachable.
And finally, Howard Thurman was a teacher, using his eloquent communication style writing, preaching, supporting, and mentoring influential change-agents to adopt Gandhi’s nonviolent strategy to impact internation civil rights.
PRAYER 2 OPEN UNTO ME by Rev. Howard Thurman
Open unto me-light for my darkness.
Open unto me-courage for my fear.
Open unto me-hope for my despair.
Open unto me-peace for my turmoil.
Open unto me-joy for my sorrow.
Open unto me-strength for my weakness.
Open unto me-wisdom for my confusion.
Open unto me-forgiveness for my sins.
Open unto me-love for my hates.
Open unto me-thy Self for myself.
O Lord, Lord, open unto me. Amen.
ACCOLADES and THEMES: From The Howard Thurman
Center for Common Ground
Howard Thurman was a spiritual genius who transformed persons who transformed history. Luther E. Smith, Jr.
Four major themes through his life emphasized, first: the significance of a direct, personal encounter with God. He believed mystical awareness was not an escape from the world but a foundation for transforming it.
Second, his book The Search for Self and Personal Dignity, his core message of the realization of one's intrinsic worth as a ‘Child of God,’ which provides an unshakeable sense of self and inner strength that cannot be diminished by external oppression.
Third, through his influential book, ‘Jesus and the Disinherited,’ that Jesus was a marginalized figure who understood the struggles of the oppressed. Thurman offered Jesus’ teachings as a ‘technique of survival’ and a source of hope, empowerment, and dignity for those ‘with backs against the wall’.
As well, Rev. Thurman saw the ‘signature of God’ in the natural world, a constant reminder of the divine presence in everyday life. In ’The Power of Love and Nonviolence’ Thurman promoted a ‘love ethic’ as a powerful and intelligent force for social change, not a passive acceptance of injustice. Deeply influenced by his 1936 meeting and discussions in India with Mahatma Gandhi, he was ‘the key figure in connecting the spiritual basis of nonviolent resistance to the American Civil Rights Movement.’ Thurman’s passion for nonviolent resistance was gradually accepted by MLK and others as they began to understand how ‘Jesus’ nonviolent theology could be the impetus that would change American social behavior toward the African-American.”
JOURNEY FROM THANKSGIVING TO CHRISTMAS
A MEDLEY OF GIFTS FROM THE MYSTICAL HEART OF
REV. HOWARD THURMAN
In regards to the Christmas story, Thurman was not a literalist when it came to details such as the angels, the shepherds, Magi, or even the virgin birth, and yet in that story he found a richness of symbol that speaks to the deep recesses of the human condition. Moreover, while he affirmed that Christmas was a uniquely Christian celebration, he felt its message had something for people of all faiths and no faith. Thurman writes: ‘For [the Christmas Season], we affirm our solidarity with the whole human race in its long struggle to come humane and to reveal divinity in which all [humankind] shares’. (p. xii). Drick Boyd, 2020
His intense love of Christmas, preparation for and action afterwards,
is one of Howard Thurman’s lasting and universal gifts.
A LITANY OF THANKSGIVING
In Your presence, O God, we make our Sacrament of Thanksgiving.
We begin with the simple things of our days:
Fresh air to breathe,
Cool water to drink,
The taste of food,
The protection of houses and clothes,
The comforts of home.
For all these we make an act of Thanksgiving this day!
We bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that we have known:
Our mothers’ arms,
The strength of our fathers,
The playmates of our childhood,
The wonderful stories brought to us from the lives of many who
talked of days gone by when fairies and giants and diverse kinds
of magic held sway;
The tears we have shed, the tears we have seen;
The excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the eye with
its reminder that life is good.
For all these we make an act of Thanksgiving this day.
A POEM I WILL LIGHT CANDLES THIS CHRISTMAS by Howard Thurman
VIDEO: https://www.theworkofthepeople.com/i-will-light-candles-this-christmas
Lyrics: I will light candles this Christmas, Candles of joy, despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage where fear is ever present, Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days, Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens. Candles of love to inspire all my living, Candles that will burn all the year long.
A POEM THIS IS THE SEASON OF PROMISE by Howard Thurman
Let the bells be silenced,
Let the gifts be still born,
Let the cheer be muted,
Let the music be soundless.
Violence stalls the land,
Soaring above the cry of the dying,
Rising above the whimper of the starving,
Floating above the flying machines of death,
Listen to the long stillness.
New life is stirring,
New dreams are on the wing,
New hopes are being readied.
Mankind is fashioning a new heart
Mankind is forging a new mind, God is at work!
THIS IS THE SEASON OF PROMISE!
A MEMORY CHRISTMAS IS THE SEASON OF REMEMBRANCE by H.Thurman
Again and again, it comes,
The Time of Recollection,
The Season of Remembrance.
Empty vessels of hope fill up again;
Forgotten treasures of dreams reclaim their place;
Long-lost memories come trooping back to me.
This is my season of remembrance,
My time of recollection.
Into the challenge of my anguish
I throw the strength of all my hope;
I match the darts of my despair with the treasures of my dreams;
Upon the current of my heart
I float the burdens of the years;
I challenge the mind of death with my love of life.
Such to me is the Time of Recollection,
Tis the season of Remembrance.
A REFLECTION CHRISTMAS IS MY SEASON OF AFFIRMATION H. Thurman
I affirm my faith in the little graces of life;
The urgency of growth, the strength of laughter,
the vitality of friendship.
I affirm my confidence in the dignity of man;
His fortitude in despair, his strength in weakness,
his love in hatred.
I affirm my joy in the experience of living:
The fragrance of nostalgia, the scattered moments of delight,
the exhilaration of danger.
I affirm my need of my fellows;
The offering of faiths, the gift of variety,
the quality of difference.
I affirm my hunger for God:
The desire for fulfillment, the ache for understanding,
the sense of peace.
CHRISTMAS IS MY SEASON OF AFFIRMATION.
CLOSING PRAYER SONG from The Work of Christmas, by Howard Thurman https://youtu.be/BUTziKy_cAY Stop at 2min 32 sec
Lyrics below
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
...To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.
Listen to the long stillness:
New life is stirring
New dreams are on the wing
New hopes are being readied:
Humankind is fashioning a new heart
Humankind is forging a new mind
God is at work.
In whatever sense this year is a new year for you, may the moment find you eager and unafraid, ready to take it by the hand with joy and gratitude.
Rev. Howard Thurman
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Kaplan, E. K. (2010). A Jewish Dialogue with Howard Thurman: Mysticism, Compassion, and Community. Cross Currents, 60(4), 515–525. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-3881.2010.00147.x
Lerita Coleman Brown. (2023). What Makes You Come Alive. Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
Thurman, H. (1971). The inward journey. Friends United Press.
Thurman, H. (1975). Deep river ; and, the negro spiritual speaks of life and death. Friends United Press.
Thurman, H. (1981). With Head and Heart. HMH.
Thurman, H. (1989). The luminous darkness : a personal interpretation of the anatomy of segregation and the ground of hope. Friends United Press.
Thurman, H. (2000). The centering moment. Friends United Press.
Thurman, H. (2008) The mood of Christmas. Friends United States Press
Thurman, H. (2014). Meditations of the Heart. Beacon Press.
Thurman, H. (2022a). Democracy and the Soul of America. Orbis Books.
Thurman, H. (2022b). Jesus and the disinherited. Beacon Press.
Thurman, H. (1961) The Inward Journey: Meditations on the Spiritual Quest. Harper Row, p.104.
Thurman, H., Eisenstadt, P. R., & Fluker, W. E. (2020). Moral struggle and the prophets. Orbis Books.
Thurman, H., Eisenstadt, P. R., & Fluker, W. E. (2021). The way of the mystics. Orbis Books.
Thurman, H., & Fluker, W. E. (2009). The papers of Howard Washington Thurman. University Of South Carolina Press.
Thurman, H., Fluker, W. E., & Tumber, C. (1998). A strange freedom : the best of Howard Thurman on religious experience and public life. Beacon Press.
윤덕규. (2016). The Spirituality of Howard Thurman. THEOLOGICAL THOUGHT, (174), 189–221. https://doi.org/10.35858/sinhak.2016..174.006
Mysticism 101: Understanding Essence & Practices of Mystical Spirituality https://valeriehamaker.com/intro-mysticism-religion/ Excellent, brief review of mysticism
VIDEO
Finding Peace in Every Season: 10 minute video in the spirit of Rev. Howard Thurman https://youtu.be/DUo7rZdXlq4
I will light candles this Christmas, a poem by Rev. Howard Thurman https://youtu.be/zxcNX6eN7Y0 2min.
I will light candles this Christmas short sung poem https://youtu.be/WxueJj0ywGU
The Work of Christmas Begins 2 min https://youtu.be/unQFB33QvAU
https://youtu.be/BUTziKy_cAY The work of christmas very good
https://youtu.be/taFtii1s1AM When the work of Christmas is over
Backs Against the Wall (short)Short review of Jesus and the Disinherited 2.3 min https://youtu.be/tDlcoFpKXeI
Backs Against the Wall https://youtu.be/mdjLfORZ7Jo 8 min
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