Howard Thurman
Like many human stories, Howard Thurman’s story is one of resiliency, bravery, and hope. It began in Daytona Beach, Florida on November 18, 1899. Though his family had little to no means, they loved him dearly, and throughout his life, Thurman would often attribute his success to his family’s courage and sacrifice. After high school, Thurman attended both Morehouse College and Colgate Rochester Divinity School. By this time, the boy who couldn’t go to high school in his hometown had grown to be the valedictorian of his college classes. Following his studies, Thurman began his forays as a faculty member, first serving as the Director of Religious Life at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in Atlanta, and then as the first dean of Andrew Rankin Chapel at Howard University. As an educator, Thurman took time to engage his students in deep conversation about their unrealized potential, prompting them with questions like, “Who are you, really?” and “Who do you want to be?”
As Thurman’s profile grew in America, he and his wife, Sue Bailey Thurman, were asked to lead a Negro delegation to Southeast Asia in 1935. It was on this trip that he met Mohandas Gandhi and, in discussion with India’s emancipator, explored the power of non-violent direct action as a mechanism for social change. By the time the Civil Rights Movement took shape in the United States, Thurman was a nationally recognized human rights advocate, though he did not take to marching and mobilizing on the streets. He preferred to serve as a caretaker and spiritual advisor to those who did, among them Jesse Jackson, Marian Wright Edelman, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1944, Thurman cofounded the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco—an interracial congregation intentionally designed to break through the barriers that separated people on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin. In 1953, he moved to Boston to serve as Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University. With this appointment, Thurman became the first African American Dean at a predominately white institution in the United States. He came determined to test his ideas of common ground and community at a pluralistic community, and Boston University would serve as an ideal laboratory. Much like King, Thurman dedicated his life to the pursuit of a society that could acknowledge its differences yet elevate its common human ties. He visualized a world where racial, ethnic, or religious barriers did not serve as a roadblock to creating meaningful relationships. 1
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/nhj2vtwf
Receive the joy of your glory, giving thanks to God,
who has called you into the heavenly kingdom, alleluia. 4 Esdras
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Music: https://tinyurl.com/mb6h9xfa
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia!
HYMN: Timothy Dudley-Smith ©
Tune: Oasis https://tinyurl.com/25bjykpc
1 As water to the thirsty,
As beauty to the eyes,
As strength that follows weakness,
As truth instead of lies,
As song time and springtime
And summertime to be,
So is my Lord,
My living Lord,
So is my Lord to me.
2 Like calm in place of clamor,
Like peace that follows pain,
Like meeting after parting,
Like sunshine after rain,
Like moonlight and starlight
And sunlight on the sea,
So is my Lord,
My living Lord,
So is my Lord to me.
3 As sleep that follows fever,
As gold instead of gray,
As freedom after bondage,
As sunrise to the day,
As home to the trav’ler
And all we long to see,
So is my Lord,
My living Lord,
So is my Lord to me.
PSALMS
Psalm 59 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/y7xjmm3n)
1 Deliver me from mine enemies, O God *
defend me from them that rise up against me.
2 O deliver me from the wicked doers *
and save me from the blood-thirsty men.
3 For lo, they lie waiting for my soul *
the mighty men are gathered against me,
without any offence or fault of me, O Lord.
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault *
arise thou therefore to help me, and behold.
5 Stand up, O Lord God of hosts, thou God of Israel,
to visit all the heathen *
and be not merciful unto them that offend of malicious wickedness.
6 They go to and fro in the evening *
they grin like a dog, and run about through the city.
7 Behold, they speak with their mouth, and swords are in their lips *
for who doth hear?
8 But thou, O Lord, shalt have them in derision *
and thou shalt laugh all the heathen to scorn.
9 My strength will I ascribe unto thee *
for thou art the God of my refuge.
10 God sheweth me his goodness plenteously *
and God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget it *
but scatter them abroad among the people,
and put them down, O Lord, our defence.
12 For the sin of their mouth, and for the words of their lips,
they shall be taken in their pride *
and why? their preaching is of cursing and lies.
13 Consume them in thy wrath, consume them, that they may perish *
and know that it is God that ruleth in Jacob,
and unto the ends of the world.
14 And in the evening they will return *
grin like a dog, and will go about the city.
15 They will run here and there for meat *
and grudge if they be not satisfied.
16 As for me, I will sing of thy power,
and will praise thy mercy betimes in the morning *
for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing *
for thou, O God, art my refuge, and my merciful God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 60 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/yaj9c4se)
1 O God, thou hast cast us out, and scattered us abroad *
thou hast also been displeased; O turn thee unto us again.
2 Thou hast moved the land, and divided it *
heal the sores thereof, for it shaketh.
3 Thou hast shewed thy people heavy things *
thou hast given us a drink of deadly wine.
4 Thou hast given a token for such as fear thee *
that they may triumph because of the truth.
5 Therefore were thy beloved delivered *
help me with thy right hand, and hear me.
6 God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice, and divide Sichem *
and mete out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine *
Ephraim also is the strength of my head; Judah is my law-giver;
8 Moab is my wash-pot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe *
Philistia, be thou glad of me.
9 Who will lead me into the strong city *
who will bring me into Edom?
10 Hast not thou cast us out, O God *
wilt not thou, O God, go out with our hosts?
11 O be thou our help in trouble *
for vain is the help of man.
12 Through God will we do great acts *
for it is he that shall tread down our enemies.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 61 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/ycmkl8hs)
1 Hear my crying, O God *
give ear unto my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth will I call upon thee *
when my heart is in heaviness.
3 O set me up upon the rock that is higher than I *
for thou hast been my hope,
and a strong tower for me against the enemy.
4 I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever *
and my trust shall be under the covering of thy wings.
5 For thou, O Lord, hast heard my desires *
and hast given an heritage unto those that fear thy Name.
6 Thou shalt grant the King a long life *
that his years may endure throughout all generations.
7 He shall dwell before God for ever *
O prepare thy loving mercy and faithfulness, that they may preserve him.
8 So will I alway sing praise unto thy Name *
that I may daily perform my vows.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 59
(Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-59-Kohlhase.mp3)
Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
protect me from those who rise up against me
Deliver me from those who work evil,
and save me from bloodthirsty men
See them lying there in wait for my life;
fierce men who are joining themselves against me
For no trespass or sin of mine, O LORD;
for no fault of mine they run and make ready
Refrain:
O my strength, I will sing praise to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress
Yes my God will meet me in his steadfast love,
and let me look with triumph on my foes
Arouse yourself, come to help, and see;
LORD God Hosts, God of Israel
And awake to punish all the nations;
spare none who make treacherous plans
Every evening they come howling like wolves,
prowling about through the city
There they are barking with their mouths,
snarling with their lips, “Who will hear us?” (Refrain)
Slay them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter and fall by your might, Lord our Shield
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be thereby caught in their pride
For the cursing and the lies which they utter,
consume them in wrath ‘til they are no more
That men know that God rules o’er Jacob,
to the ends of the earth. Selah. (Refrain)
Every evening they come howling like wolves,
prowling about through the city
They roam about scavenging for food,
and growl when they don’t get their fill
But I will sing of your might, O Lord;
and of your steadfast love in the morning
For you have been a fortress to me,
and a refuge in the day of my distress (Refrain)
Psalm 60
(Karl Kohlhase: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-60-Kohlhase.mp3)
Refrain: With God we shall do valiantly;
He will trample down our enemies;
with God we shall do valiantly
You have rejected us, broken down our defenses;
You had been angry, Oh but now restore us
You made the earth quake and tear; heal it for it totters
Your people have suffered hardship,
the wine you gave us made us stagger
You set a banner for those who fear You,
to rally to it from the bow
That your beloved may be delivered,
Give victory by your right hand (Refrain)
For God has spoken from his sanctuary
“Gladly I divide Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth
Gilead is mine; Manasseh, too, is mine
Ephraim is my helmet, and Judah is my scepter
Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I cast my shoe
Over Philistia I shout in triumph (Refrain)
Who’ll bring me to the strong city, and lead me into Edom
If you, O God, reject us and will not go with our armies
O grant us your saving help, against the enemy
Because the help of man, is to no avail (Refrain x 2)
Psalm 61 (Coptic: https://tinyurl.com/453bkxwz)
Hear, O God, my petition;
attend to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I have cried to you,
when my heart was in trouble:
You elevated me up on a rock, you guided me:
You became a hope, a tower of power
from the face of an enemy.
I shall dwell in your dwelling place forever;
I shall be sheltered under the shadow of Your wings.
For you, O God, have heard my prayers;
You have given an inheritance to those who fear your name.
Days upon days of the king,
You shall lengthen his years to all generations.
He shall endure forever before God.
As for his mercy and truth, who will be able to seek them out?
So I will sing to your name forever and ever,
that I may perform my vows day by day.
ALLELUIA.
PRAYER
Holy God,
you are exalted over all the nations,
and just in all your ways.
Strengthen us to worship you with our deeds
and to proclaim your greatness with our lips,
for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
I am the Lord your God,
who grasps your strong hand,
who says to you,
Don’t fear; I will help you.
Don’t fear, worm of Jacob,
people of Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord.
The holy one of Israel is your redeemer.
Look, I’ve made you
into a new threshing tool with sharp teeth.
You will thresh mountains and pulverize them;
you will reduce hills to straw.
When you winnow them,
the wind will carry them off;
the tempest will scatter them.
You will rejoice in the Lord
and take pride in the holy one of Israel.
The poor and the needy seek water, and there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the Lord, will respond to them;
I, the God of Israel, won’t abandon them.
I will open streams on treeless hilltops
and springs in valleys.
I will make the desert into ponds
and dry land into cascades of water.
I will plant in the desert cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees;
I will put in the wilderness cypress, elm, and pine as well,
so that they will see and know
and observe and comprehend
that the Lord’s hand has done this,
and the holy one of Israel has created it.
HYMN: M.D. Ridge ©
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/59ekxd99
Refrain:
In the day of the Lord, the sun will shine
like the dawn of eternal day.
All creation will rise to dance and sing
the glory of the Lord!
1 And on that day will justice triumph,
on that day will all be free:
free from want,
free from fear, free to live! [Refrain]
2 Then shall the nations throng together
to the mountain of the Lord:
they shall walk
in the light of the Lord! [Refrain]
3 And they shall beat their swords to plowshares;
there will be an end to war:
one in peace,
one in love, one in God! [Refrain]
4 For Israel shall be delivered,
and the desert lands will bloom.
Say to all,
“Do not fear. Here is your God!” [Refrain]
5 And on that day of Christ in glory,
God will wipe away our tears,
and the dead
shall rise up from their graves! [Refrain]
6 O give us eyes to see your glory,
give us hearts to understand.
Let our ears
hear your voice ’til you come! [Refrain]
“Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth. After all, you say, ‘I’m rich, and I’ve grown wealthy, and I don’t need a thing.’ You don’t realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked. My advice is that you buy gold from me that has been purified by fire so that you may be rich, and white clothing to wear so that your nakedness won’t be shamefully exposed, and ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see. I correct and discipline those whom I love. So be earnest and change your hearts and lives. Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me. As for those who emerge victorious, I will allow them to sit with me on my throne, just as I emerged victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
HYMN: J. Grigg
Tune: Arizona https://tinyurl.com/54wxnmaf
1 Behold a Stranger at the door!
He gently knocks, has knocked before,
Has waited long, is waiting still:
You treat no other friend so ill.
2 O lovely attitude! He stands
With melting heart and laden hands:
O matchless kindness! and He shows
This matchless kindness to His foes.
3 But will He prove a friend indeed?
He will; the very friend you need;
The Friend of sinners–yea, ’tis He,
With garments dyed on Calvary.
4 Rise, touched with gratitude divine;
Turn out His enemy and thine,
That soul-destroying monster, sin,
And let the heavenly Stranger in.
Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was making more disciples and baptizing more than John (although Jesus’ disciples were baptizing, not Jesus himself). Therefore, he left Judea and went back to Galilee.
Jesus had to go through Samaria. He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food. The Samaritan woman asked, “Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.)
Jesus responded, “If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!”
CANTICLE Revelation 5:12-14 (LBW)
(John Ylsivaker ELW Setting 8: https://tinyurl.com/r4t5bzze)
Refrain:
This is the feast of victory for our God,
for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia.
1 Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power, riches, wisdom, and strength,
and honor, blessing, and glory are his. [Refrain]
2 Sing with all the people of God,
and join in the hymn of all creation.
Blessing, honor, glory, and might
be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen. [Refrain]
THE PRAYERS BCW
O Christ, in your resurrection,
the heavens and the earth rejoice.
Alleluia!
By your resurrection you broke open the gates of hell,
and destroyed sin and death.
Keep us victorious over sin.
By your resurrection you raised the dead,
and brought us from death to life.
Guide us in the way of eternal life.
By your resurrection you confounded your guards and executioners,
and filled the disciples with joy.
Give us joy in your service.
By your resurrection you proclaimed good news to the women and apostles,
and brought salvation to the whole world.
Direct our lives as your new creation.
(Plainsong Mode 2: https://tinyurl.com/yctqq8cf)DL
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
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 my self.
Lord, Lord, open unto me! Howard Thurman
https://tinyurl.com/rkxkpmc
Go in peace, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!
Glory to God whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine:
Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church,
and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
DL © Daniel Lawson; used with permission.
1 https://www.bu.edu/thurman/about-us/who-is-howard-thurman/
The main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible.
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). Psalms 59 and 60 are in the versions sung by Karl Kohlhase https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpnf6eoqQUh2xZ3_4C7dmiA; Psalm 61 is the version sung in the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2024 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
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