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/48bst233
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5
Eternal God, our judge and redeemer,
we confess that we have tried to hide from you,
for we have done wrong.
We have lived for ourselves,
and apart from you.
We have turned from our neighbors,
and refused to bear the burdens of others.
We have ignored the pain of the world,
and passed by the hungry, the poor, and the oppressed.
In your great mercy forgive our sins
and free us from selfishness,
that we may choose your will
and obey your commandments;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. BCW
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory 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.
HYMN: Jim Strathdee after Howard Thurman ©
Tune:
[Refrain:]
“I am the light of the world!
You people come and follow me!”
If you follow and love
you’ll learn the mystery
of what you are meant to do and be.
1 When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the magi and shepherds have found their way home
the work of Christmas is begun. [Refrain]
2 To find the lost and lonely one,
to heal the broken soul with love,
to feed the hungry children with warmth and good will,
to feel the earth below, the sky above! [Refrain]
3 To free the prisoner from all chains,
to make the powerful care,
to rebuild the nations with strength of good will,
to see God’s children everywhere! [Refrain]
4 To bring hope to every task you do,
to dance at a baby’s new birth,
to make music in an old person’s heart,
and sing to the colours of the earth! [Refrain]
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 looked up again
and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains;
the mountains were made of bronze.
The first chariot had red horses,
and the second chariot had black horses.
The third chariot had white horses,
and the fourth chariot had horses that were heavily spotted.
I responded and said to the messenger speaking with me,
“What are these, sir?”
The messenger answered and said to me,
“These are the four winds of heaven that are going out
after presenting themselves to the Lord of all the earth.
The one with the black horses is going to the north country;
the white ones are going to the west;
and the spotted ones are going south.”
Then the powerful ones approached, intent on going to patrol the earth.
He said, “Go! Patrol the earth!”
So they patrolled the earth.
Then he called out and said to me,
“Look, the ones going north have provided rest for my spirit in the north.”
HYMN: Jessie Adams
Tune: Landås https://tinyurl.com/tr5efpjw
1. I feel the winds of God today;
today my sail I lift,
Though heavy, oft with drenching spray,
and torn with many a rift;
If hope but light the water’s crest,
and Christ my bark will use,
I’ll seek the seas at His behest,
and brave another cruise.
2. It is the wind of God that dries
my vain regretful tears,
Until with braver thoughts shall rise
the purer, brighter years;
If cast on shores of selfish ease
or pleasure I should be;
Lord, let me feel Thy freshening breeze,
and I’ll put back to sea.
3. If ever I forget Thy love
and how that love was shown,
Lift high the blood red flag above;
it bears Thy name alone.
Great pilot of my onward way,
Thou wilt not let me drift;
I feel the winds of God today,
today my sail I lift.
Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. This is why we can confidently say,
The Lord is my helper,
and I won’t be afraid.
What can people do to me?
HYMN: Joseph Medicott Scriven
Tune: Converse https://tinyurl.com/2xpp7vf7
1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
2 Have we trials and temptation?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3 Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge:
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms he’ll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Then the chief priests and Pharisees called together the council and said, “What are we going to do? This man is doing many miraculous signs! If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our people.”
One of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, told them, “You don’t know anything! You don’t see that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than the whole nation be destroyed.” He didn’t say this on his own. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would soon die for the nation— and not only for the nation. Jesus would also die so that God’s children scattered everywhere would be gathered together as one. From that day on they plotted to kill him.
Therefore, Jesus was no longer active in public ministry among the Jewish leaders. Instead, he left Jerusalem and went to a place near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover, and many people went from the countryside up to Jerusalem to purify themselves through ritual washing before the Passover. They were looking for Jesus. As they spoke to each other in the temple, they said, “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival, will he?” The chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where he was should report it, so they could arrest him.
CANTICLE Isaiah 55:6-11
(Setting by Gregory Wilbur: https://tinyurl.com/yawmg8fp)
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,
Call ye upon him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
My ways and thoughts are higher than yours.
And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
For as the rain cometh down, and snow from heaven,
And maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to sow,
that it may give bread to eat.
So shall my world be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
It shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please it shall prosper
in the thing whereunto I sent it.
THE PRAYERS BCW
In penitence and faith let us make our prayer to the Father
and ask for his mercy and grace.
For your holy people,
that they may triumph over evil and grow in grace:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For candidates for baptism and confirmation,
that they may live by every word that proceeds from your mouth:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the leaders of the nations,
that you will guide them in the ways of mercy and truth:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the needy,
that they may not be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor be taken away:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the sick in body, mind and spirit,
that they may know your power to heal:
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the poor in spirit,
that they may inherit the kingdom of heaven
and see you face to face: :
We pray to you, O Lord.
Let us commend the world, for which Christ suffered,
to the mercy and protection of God. Amen.
(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
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
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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 © 2025 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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