1 10 5 https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/files/original/2eed1661de6dd3b314aa2cc6a1fb6804.pdf 95ae693514c6783e2c244d216ffa20e8 PDF Text Text Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu 394-024_A.mp3 Pitts Theology Library Emory University What do you do with your loneliness? One of the massive results of the invasion of privacy so characteristic of our times is the increasing fear of being alone. Loneliness is of many kinds. There is the loneliness of a great bitterness, when the pain is so great that any contact with others threatens to open old wounds and to awaken old frenzies. There is the loneliness of the broken heart and the dead friendship, when what was full of promise and fulfillment lost its way in the fogs of misunderstanding, anxiety, and fear. There is the loneliness of those who have absorbed so much violence that all hurt has died, leaving only the chard reminder of a lost awareness. There is the loneliness of the shy and retiring, where timidity stands guard against all encounters, and the will to relate to others is still. There is the loneliness of despair, the exhaustion of the spirit, leaving no strength to try again. The promise of the second wind can find no backing. There is the loneliness of death, when silently a man listens one by one to the closing of all doors, and all that remains is naked life, stripped of everything that shields, protects, and insulates. But there is loneliness in another key. There is the loneliness of the truth-seeker, whose search swings them out beyond all frontiers and all boundaries until there bursts upon his view a fleeting moment of utter awareness. And he knows beyond all doubt, all contradictions. There is the loneliness of the moment of integrity when the declaration of the self is demanded and the commitment gives no corner to sham, to pretense, or to lying. There is the loneliness in the moment of creation, when the new comes into being, trembles, then steadies, and finds its way. There is the loneliness of those who walk with God until the path takes them out beyond all creeds and all faiths, and they know the wholeness of communion and the bliss of finally being understood. Loneliness is of many kinds. What do you do with yours? I do not know how it seems to others, but for me, I am but a little child, wandering along the sea shore, admiring here and there a pebble for its beauty and its shape while the great ocean of truth stretches out before me, boundless and unexplored. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Oh, Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Amen. We come to the end of our journey together, and there's an immediate background for thinking this morning about Jesus and the tempter in Gethsemane. I'm reading an unpublished poem on Judas Iscariot. The day I was born, so my mother says, the son could not be seen from dawn to dusk. The clouds tipped all the trees with gloom. The old folks shook their heads. It's a bad sign, they said. Years before I met the master, I saw his eyes and all my dreams. Face to face, we met on the dusty road. He spoke. My heart replied. The pent up hunger of my restless years poured forth, bringing the clean limpid feeling of pure relief. We understood do without the aid of speech. The others talked their thoughts. But between us, only the muted or the crackling silence. Sometimes he seemed remote and far away, sometimes as close as air I breathed. Awareness would not let us go. 1 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu At last Jerusalem and the temple. I remember his eyes, the frightened doves, the overturned tables, the outraged cries. My heart rejoiced. The end was near for vaunting Roman and the [INAUDIBLE] Jew. That night while others slept, we talked. We matched the secrets of our hearts. Like light appearing in a darkened room, I knew. Pitts Theology Library Emory University How could I have been so blind? I felt betrayed, outraged, uprooted from my place. I fought with the only sword my hand could reach, not for him, not for my own poor self, but for God's own holy cause. He was the enemy, no messiah he. And now it's done. And I am alone, bereft. What I have lost in life in death may I find again? We see him in the garden. And the far reaching, significant, all of the churning struggle symbolize in various dimensions of his experience up to this time epitomized in the figure of the tempter now became desperate. Father, let the cup pass. What was literal truth in him must become literal fact in the world in which he moved, and worked, and lived, and breathed, and dared. And there is a time interval that is very important, if that which is literal truth must made become literal fact. And I need more time, time. Is there some other way? If I could work a little longer, finding my way into the very substance and stuff of the mind and the spirit of the disciples, but over and over again in the month of our intimate togetherness, at moments when it seemed as if that which was most radiant in me was also kindled in them, darkness settled down. And I felt as if I must start over again. Even Peter, so perceptive. I remember, when I ask him, did he love me. And I was very careful in asking him to use the [INAUDIBLE] that would hold in him, if he responded in like kind, until that which was literally true in him would become literal fact, and the for instancing of his life, in the creative process of his mind in awe of the aspects of his work, and living, and moving. And I waited with bated breath and heart in my throat, as he replied. And when he replied, he could not use the strong word for love that I used. He could not find his way into the roots and say, [? Agapel. ?] All he could do, [? Faleo. ?] And I tried again. Do you love me? And when he came back, I was sure he would say it now. [? Faleo. ?] That's all. And a heavy heart when I ask him the third time. I said [? falseo. ?] I need more time, time, time. It is not that I am afraid to die, no not that death. And yet, and yet he die now, places me into the swirling vortex of the great issue of the human spirit, as it has to come to grips with the fact of death. For death, even though it is not something that happens life, but something that happens in life, death, even so it be episodic, and eventful, and therefore it belongs in the sequence of time, space events, yet this very fact about death is the thing that is so shattering, for death is a denial of the future. And if there be no future, how can that which is literal truth of have an extended time interval in which to become literal fact? But it may be that death is not the worst thing in the world. Let the cup pass, Father. I will not dare to say for how long to let the cup pass, but let it pass now, now, now. And all the encounters with the tempter, it culminated here. And then the great, great, great thing happened. 2 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu There was no opening of the heavens as at the baptism while the Spirit descended like a dove. There were no words echoing through all the corridors of his being, sounding with great triumph and delight that at last the [INAUDIBLE] is upon me now. Only great tears deep and terrifying anguish and moving up out of the very essence of the anguish. Pitts Theology Library Emory University Thy will be done. Even though I may not be able in the thrones of my anguish to see, I trust, for it is thy kingdom, Father. With all the barriers within me, with all the funded, accumulated distillations of all of the communions, and the fellowships, and the intimacies that we had, with all of this, before me. Say yes, yes, yes, yes. And with the affirmation becomes nothing more, just death, nothing more. For the test of life again and again is found when the agonies of life are not relieved. And the peace of God comes so, so many times in the midst of the breaking heart and the anguishing of the spirit. It comes sometimes on the crest of a wave of pain. It is the spear of frustration, transformed into a shaft of light. Nothing can pass. I yield. My ties are in thy hands. And when in my own moments of greatest hopelessness, and despair, when there seems to be so much that cast down and depresses and so little that uplifts and inspires, in the shadow of all my broken aspirations, and see that upon which my mind and spirit have been set as the will of God turned to ashes in my hand. I remember. And my heart rejoices, and my hopes are renewed. And I become aware as if for the first time [INAUDIBLE] the love of God. Let the cup pass. Nevertheless, thy will be done. 3 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Temptations of Jesus (1962, United Church of Canada, London, ON, Canada) Description An account of the resource Howard Thurman’s “The Temptations of Jesus” is a five-part sermon series concerned with how the spiritual attitude orients human encounters with dilemmas. In these presentations, Thurman reflects upon the biblical record of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness – bread, tempting God, and power – his decision to travel to Jerusalem, and his contemplation of death in the Garden of Gethsemane. This series shows that choosing divine purpose over egotism requires aligning with the will of God by getting one’s “self” out of the way of God. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Descriptions by ShaCarolyn Halyard AudioWithTranscription Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript Audio with Transcription <iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-024_A.html" ></iframe> Internal Notes Notes for project team Edits: *word* that would hold in him; "Agapao"; "Phileo"; imprimatur; first time *of* the love of God - GL 5/15/19 Edited - GL 8/3 Location The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon United Church of Canada, London, Ontario Time Period The decade in which the recording was produced. 1960s Original Title Title as transcribed from tape cassette In the Garden (Canada), 1962 Sep 16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 394-024_A Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Thurman, Howard Title A name given to the resource In the Garden, 1962 September 16 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962-09-16 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" alt="80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>. 2019. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant GEOMETRYCOLLECTION(POINT(-9044266.856827 5310050.4960179)) Description An account of the resource In the final sermon of this series, Thurman affirms that Jesus does not struggle with the fact of death but the fact of finality swallowing all future possibilities. When Jesus asked God whether the cup before him might pass, what he possibly considered, Thurman notes, is whether more time living might be better than dying. The test of faith, Thurman says, comes when life’s agony is not relieved. In Jesus’ yielding expression, “Thy will be done,” Thurman interprets God’s ability to intervene “in the midst of the breaking heart and the anguishing spirit” and inspire peace and resolve. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard death loneliness peace temptation tempter https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/files/original/8d2f11215ce3c35f5c660d44861405d7.pdf 665cca5cd178d96c180c8661d231c050 PDF Text Text Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu 394-023_B.mp3 Pitts Theology Library Emory University The individual seems to himself ever to be working against himself. What he longs for is the energy that comes from a concentration of his forces in a single direction to a single end. Often, this is impossible of achievement because of many factors. It may be that a person has so many gifts of such high order that the pull in many directions is authentic and convincing. It may be that the goal that becomes is one requiring the kind of preparation that is impossible of fulfillment because of circumstances that will not yield to the intent, however compelling the intent may be. Perhaps what the dream is set upon offers more precedent in his own story, thereby rendering null and void the confidence, even the effort itself, or it may be that a man has turned his back upon the vision that gripped him and accepted in its place something that fell within the easy reach of untaxed powers. There's still another dimension in which a man may be a victim of cross purposes. He may be set in his life's commitments with a personal equipment and discipline equal to his choice. But he feels under pressure to include in his activity additional. Duties that are compelling in themselves but are a part from the meaning of his commitment. At such a time, a decision must be reached that will enable him to say this one thing I do. This one way I take, this one commitment I honor. To take mean such a stand may mean being bitterly judged and grossly misinterpreted. It may mean a loss of prestige, and a shattering of ties that bind into the lives of many others. There is always the possibility that he may be mistaken, the victim of pride, of arrogance, of conceit. Lurking ever in the background is the threat that one has taken the easier way out. One is doing the convenient and less costly thing. At long last, the only redemption from the paralysis of the cross purpose is to seek with all possible intent to link ones deepest desire with one's choice of goal, and to make of one's life a dedication to such an end. Ultimately, a man's responsibility is to God. The god a man worships is the god he must face. The when he stands before him, What will he say? He comes to us as one unknown without a name as he came to the man by the lakeside who knew him not. He speaks to us. He commands. Follow me. And to those who obey him, he will reveal himself in the toils and the suffering and the joy through which they shall pass in his fellowship. And as an [? affable ?] mystery, they shall learn in their own experience who he is. And [? that ?] the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh, Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. Amen. As a background for our thought, [INAUDIBLE]. I am reading two paragraphs from the writing of a South African novelist. I have sometimes thought it would be a terrible thing if when death came to a man or a woman there stood about his bed reproaching him not for his sins, not for his crimes of commission and omission toward his fellow men, but for the thoughts and the visions that had come to him, and which he had thrust always into the background. And then when he was dying, they gather around him the things he might have incarnated and given life to and would not. All that might have lived and now must never live forever look at 1 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu Pitts Theology Library Emory University him with the large, reproachful eyes, his own dead vision reproaching him, say we came to you. You, only you could have given us life. Now we are dead forever. Was it worth it, or the sense of duty you satisfied, the sense of necessity you labor under, should you not have violated at all and given us [? birth? ?] It has come upon me so vividly sometimes that I've almost leaped out of bed to gain air, that suffocating scent, that all his life long a man or a woman might live striving to do his duty, and then at the end find it all wrong. There are such absolutely conflicting ideals, the ideal of absolute submission and endurance of [INAUDIBLE], the ideal of noble resistance to all injustice and wrong, even when done to oneself. The ideal of the absolute devotion to the smaller always present call of life, and the ideal of devotion to the larger aims sweeping all before it. The agony of life is not the choice between good and evil. The agony of life is the choice between two evils or two goods. We continue our journey, Jesus and the tempter. Sometimes it seems that the necessities of our lives certainly with reference to time available for our own study, and meditation, and reflection, particularly in the life of the master calls us to separate in [? disonated ?] units aspects of his life, as if these aspects, or this aspect were the only and total story. I've often wondered why, and the services on Good Friday, for instance, the first part of the service should not be concerned with the birth of Jesus, the singing of Christmas carols, so that as one moves through all the unfolding of the matches life, and one comes to the Hill outside the city. There is continuity and wholeness. The tempter met him in our thought this morning at the crossroad, just outside the town of Jericho. The master and his little knot of disciples were walking out of the city. And as they came to a fork in the road, one going north towards Jerusalem, the other going south towards Nazareth and Galilee, a strange thing happened. And it is the only place in all the records where there is a statement concerning this strange thing. You remember? As they approached the crossroads, Jesus apparently bolted ahead of the group. And it is recorded that when the disciples look into his face, they were frightened. What did they see there? What kind of inner-wrestling was so churning and tumultuous in its character and its depth and intensity that it spilled over into his countenance with such dramatic import that when those who had been with him all the time looked in his face, they were frightened, frightened at what they saw. Shall I go to Jerusalem, or shall I go back home? And the tempter talked with him, or to have argued with him. It would be a wonderful thing to go back and to pick up the threads of the dynamic ministry of healing and teaching. What a wonderful prospect. With all the cumulative power of my experience of God as I sought to write laws in the context of they movements, the meaning of His will and purpose in my life, and make of my life an utter contagion for the transmission of His will and purposes in the lives of others, what a wonderful thing. Go back and establish myself as the great, and good, and holy teacher, healing the sick. I remember the time that I was walking along. And I heard before I saw him, the loud shrieks of the maniac. And as I made the turn in the road, I saw him standing there disheveled, his eyes like gutted candlelight, The [? bursted ?] chains dangling from his hands, and his arms, and his legs. That day is terrible of the mind in a tilted place. 2 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu And something deep within me spoke to him. What is your name? And for a moment, as a precursor of that which was taking place at some other region in this period, his mind balanced just for a second. And he said, that is my trouble. I don't know who I am. There are so many of me. And they riot in my streets. Pitts Theology Library Emory University If I knew who I am, I would be whole again. I remember that. How wonderful if I could spend all the years of my life, multiplying redemption, just multiplying it. And a lot of comfort I would be to my mother. I would live, and teach, and heal, and die in my own bed. But if I go to Jerusalem, where I would be on the receiving end of the cumulative rejection, and emotional, and official insecurity of those whose foundations were disturbed by the revelation of the god in me, who knows what they might do to me? It were me and my life, and not as some [? mata-- ?] no-- but it remain my life because the only way they think by which they can protect themselves from the [INAUDIBLE] of the judgment of God as articulate in me would be to kill me, and not because they had something against me personally. No, it is like the frog and the yeast cake seated on a park bench. And someone dropped water on the yeast cake. And the yeast cake began expanding, and expanding, and expanding. And the more it expanded, the more it crowded the frog. And finally, in desperation, the frog said, yeast cake, why don't you stop pushing me off the bench? And the yeast cake said, I'm not pushing you. I'm just growing. This will to eliminate, which I will experience if I go to Jerusalem, will be the first line of defense against the kind of disturbance and upheaval that the will of God makes manifest in me who feels himself to be the living embodiment of the will of God. And I must be careful. I will teach if I go there. But every night, my disciples and I will go out of the city in a quiet place and hide. I don't want to be assassinated in some dark corner. I want the witness here. And this is a [INAUDIBLE] of Judas, isn't it, one of the points. Where is his hiding place? I will take you to it. How will we know him in the dark? I'll kiss him. And so he went to Jerusalem. How I wish I had been on that road outside of Jericho, to feel his presence how under the impact of what took place there, all the shattered [? mess, ?] differentiated fragmentation of my own life and resolve would be galvanized into one whole creative synthesis, so that even through my little sorry, inadequate impoverished life, the grave gods might find a lung through which to breathe. I wish I had been there. Shall I go home? Shall I go to Jerusalem? The Messiah. When you have been at a crossroad of that quality, or that character, or that kind, or that [? intonation ?] however you say it-- it doesn't matter-- but when you have stood at such a crossroad in your limited way or my limited way, how did you vote? What did you do? Thus thou tire, oh, Father, of hearing from our stumbling lips, the same monotonous cry of inadequacy, of limitation, of sin? Oh, God, let us not weary Thee. But out of all the long journey over which Thou has come with Thy children, speak to our condition. Oh, Sabbath rest by Galilee, oh calm of hills above, where Jesus [INAUDIBLE] to share with Thee the silence of eternity, interpreted by love. Let the words of my mouth. when the meditation my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh, Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. 3 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Temptations of Jesus (1962, United Church of Canada, London, ON, Canada) Description An account of the resource Howard Thurman’s “The Temptations of Jesus” is a five-part sermon series concerned with how the spiritual attitude orients human encounters with dilemmas. In these presentations, Thurman reflects upon the biblical record of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness – bread, tempting God, and power – his decision to travel to Jerusalem, and his contemplation of death in the Garden of Gethsemane. This series shows that choosing divine purpose over egotism requires aligning with the will of God by getting one’s “self” out of the way of God. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Descriptions by ShaCarolyn Halyard AudioWithTranscription Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript Audio with Transcription <iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-023_B.html" ></iframe> Internal Notes Notes for project team Edits: ineffable; that (the words of my mouth); excuse me; birth?; bursted; martyr; intimation; inroads (of the judgment); the point, of course, (of Judas) - GL 5/15/19 Edited - GL 7/29 Edited "mess" to "bits". "turns one" south - GL 8/3 Location The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon United Church of Canada, London, Ontario Time Period The decade in which the recording was produced. 1960s Original Title Title as transcribed from tape cassette At the Crossroad (Canada), 1962 Sep 15 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 394-023_B Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Thurman, Howard Title A name given to the resource At the Crossroad, 1962 September 15 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962-09-15 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" alt="80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>. 2019. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant GEOMETRYCOLLECTION(POINT(-9044266.856827 5310050.4960179)) Description An account of the resource Thurman’s fourth sermon in this series expands the traditional frame of the wilderness temptations and portrays Jesus’ decision to go to Jerusalem for the last time as a crossroads dilemma. In this instance, Jesus must decide whether to go to Jerusalem, where he would be rejected and killed, or, to continue his ministry elsewhere and live. Thurman explains the crossroad faced by Jesus as a dilemma because this moment reflects the "agony" of any dilemma in that one must choose either between competing goods or competing evils. Jesus knew going to Jerusalem would mean meeting his fate. If he did not go, it would mean quieting the revelation of God within him. In the choice Jesus makes to go to Jerusalem, Thurman recognizes the crowning example of faith to trust God and follow divine will. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard agony crossroad dilemma Jesus Judas temptation tempter https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/files/original/c56f5c7d5d2891839bc85138fd7b0ecd.pdf 356fe92684ec6c0eacac5fcc0e1e38d7 PDF Text Text Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu 394-023_A.mp3 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh, Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. Pitts Theology Library Emory University As a background for our thinking together, tonight, in this experience of worship, and as a part of the series on which we have been thinking together for two days, I'm reading a part of the Gospel According to St. Matthew. Which of you can add an ell to his height by troubling about it? And why should you trouble over clothing? Look how the lilies of the fields grow. They neither toil nor spin, and yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his grandeur was never robed like one of them. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which blooms today and is thrown tomorrow into the furnace, will not He much more clothe you? Oh, man, how little you trust God. Do not be troubled then and cry. What are we to eat? Or what are we to drink? Or how are we to be clothed? For your Heavenly Father knows quite well you need all that. Seek God's kingdom and His goodness, and all that will be yours over and above. So do not be troubled about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. The day's own trouble is quite enough for the day. And the tempter carried him to a high place, and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world. What is this you're going to do? You want the kingdoms of the world to become the Kingdom of God? Yes. Yes. Because you feel and know that God is your Father, that God is the creator of the disciples, He's the creator of all men and women and all living things, you reason that therefore God is the creator of the relationships that exist between things. And that is logical, the tempter said, but it's not true. I am the creator of the relationships that exists between man and man and man and nature. And anyone who undertakes to introduce a new and radical departure from this assumption can only do so by my leave. If you will give to me the nerve center of your consent, you may have the kingdoms. The nerve center of your consent, if you will give that to me, you may have everything else. And the master replied that there is only one worthy of worship, that the nerve center of the consent belongs only to God. And if I give the nerve center of my consent to anything less, I have nothing. If I give the nerve center of my consent as I did for as long as I have been conscious of myself, I have everything. The kingdoms of the world, the Kingdom of God. The kingdoms of the world are built upon one of the most insinuating and searching demands of personality. The demand for power, power over the world of nature so that the mind of man will be able to order the processes of nature and make them obey him, so that all of the resources of nature may become vehicles for his desires, and his ends, and his purposes. This is one of the insistent needs of personality to be able to be in possession of the external world by which he is surrounded, so that this external world in its operation will not be a threat to him. Power over nature. 1 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu This is one of the important elements in the foundation of the kingdoms of this world. And we see it around us. To conquer nature requires so much more than the creative work of the mind. It requires the amassing of so much material and so many resources, economic and character, that it seems as if only the kingdoms of the world are able to harness this power. Pitts Theology Library Emory University And there is a second kind of need for power, and that is power over time and space, so that time and space may be used as instruments of the collective will. in times of ordered and disciplined and manipulative communications, so that one man representing the kingdoms of the world may stand in one place and speak with a voice that can be heard by all men everywhere in every place. The kingdoms of this world not only rest on power in those two dimensions, but power in another dimension, which is even more terrifying. And that is power over the lives of human beings, so that when the kingdom says, go, man, the subject, has to go. And in order to guarantee that this power will be held with abiding security, all kinds of communications and forces of varying degrees are used to give to the individual man an extraordinarily high estimate of his own physical existence. And when in any state, in any kingdom of this world, a man or a group of men will place the supreme premium upon their own physical existence, all that the kingdoms of the world need to do in order to control such men is to threaten to take their lives. And under the massive aegis of that kind of threat, men betray their souls, betray their families, betray their loyalties. The kingdoms of this world. And it is to these kingdoms with this kind of foundation and control that Jesus Christ addresses another kind of insistence, the Kingdom of God. This must have been a very, very searching temptation to Him. Young, full of vigor and vitality, full of the living inspiration of the living presence of his living Father, so full of His Father that there were moments when He could not tell that which was He from that which was His Father. With a love and a tenderness and a gentleness and a resourcefulness and the kind of personality that attracted people to him, so that rough fisherman dropped their nets, hard boiled tax collectors closed their accounts and left the tables. Little children trusted him and felt at home and at peace in His presence. Sick people found the vitality within His spirit moving out to touch something at the deepest level in them. And as that began to stir and move, they felt their disease melt away, and their minds and bodies stand once again in wholeness and completion. All of this. Why can't I do something with all of this power, and move it to the very center and core of the control of the Roman Empire by which I am surrounded and by which all of my people are surrounded? With all that I am, I really could get myself into a strategic position in the empire if I were not too meticulous. And then standing in that position, I'd be able to do certain things for Israel, for my people maybe. Maybe this is the way that the kingdom must come, to insinuate myself in the critical spot that controls the kingdoms of the world. And there, from within that spot, function on behalf of the Kingdom of God. The context-- and this is the heart of what I want to say-- the context in which we live, in which you and I live, the context in which the church functions is a content that again and again is not responsive to the private good will, however good and whole and healed that will may be. The network of arrangements in the midst of which we earn our bread and support our families, is in 2 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu network which again and again is involved in the operation of forces that are not sensitive to righteousness, sensitive to love, sensitiveness to God. Pitts Theology Library Emory University I remember when I was in the Divinity School in Rochester, I went into a haberdashery to get a pair of shoes. And I was asked the kind I wanted. I told him I wanted a pair of black Oxfords. He said, what size? I said, 10. And then he started towards the back to get a pair of shoes. And then he came back, and took one shoe off, and measured it with one of those arrangements. And then he went back and got a pair of shoes and brought them back. They fitted. And I paid him for them. He wrapped them up. It was a bad day, full of snow and slush. One of those famous days in Rochester, New York. And I sat for a minute. And he said to me, this is a terrible job I have. I said, it seems to me to be a very good job. You walk around all dressed up. You don't have to work really. And you wear a flower on your coat. It's a very respectable job. Oh, he said, I don't mean that. But I get tired of lying. He said, you see, it is the policy of the store that the customer must not know the size of his feet. And when the sun is shining, and it's a beautiful day, it doesn't bother me very much. But when the day is gloomy, my conscience does, and I feel guilty. And then I remember the face of my little boy, and how dependent my family is upon this good job that I have, and I go on. The context, the context of relationship in which we live and function again and again is a context that is not only impersonal, but is a context that makes primary demands upon us, to which if we respond again and again, we seem to undermine the very integrity of all that is meaningful and precious and searching and radically significant in terms of the impact of the Kingdom of God upon us who have professed to be Christian. And this is why we find it difficult to do the thing upon which the central witnessing of the church is dependent. And that is to yield at the deep center of the selves, the consent to God and His kingdom. And what is mandatory for the individual Christian who would walk in His way is also mandatory for the witnessing of the church. At the nerve center of the consent of the church must be this yielding. And of course, it may mean suffering. Of course, it may mean dying. In the early days, at that far off moment when the moving spirit of the living God was beginning to find it's for instance in the development of the church, in some of the churches there was a platform like this. And on that platform was a series of stairs. And at the top of the stairs there was a chair. And the leader, or the bishop, or the elder sat in that chair. Underneath the platform was a room like a pit hollowed out. And you entered it by going down the steps. And always in that room for a long stretch of time was to be found a coffin. And in that coffin, the body of someone who witnessed and who died. And when you wanted to join the church, before you ascended the stairs, you went down into the room and stood to look and to feel and to understand that when you said, yes, this broken body was taken into account. And that is why even to this day, the communion table is in the shape of a coffin, a coffin, a coffin. The kingdoms of the world, we have to live in it. The church has to live in it. The Kingdom of God, power over nature, power over time and space, power over the lives of human beings. One 3 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu thing that has power completely, and that is love. And because it does not demand power, it is power. Pitts Theology Library Emory University Now finally, the way in which the Kingdom of God which makes the central demand of absolute loyalty upon the individual, the way in which it operates begins, of course, with the heart of the man. And this is right that it should start there, because this is the most difficult place. We do not want to yield the nerve center of our consent. We want to keep it in our hands, because if we yield the nerve center of our consent, we give up the moral initiative over our own lives. And we are never even sure that we are willing to trust God with that kind of authority over us. Jane [INAUDIBLE] talks about the struggle that she had in trying to yield her life, the nerve center of her consent to God. And she would yield it a little, and then take it back. And yield it a little more, and then take more of it back. And this went on, because she was afraid that if she yielded the nerve center of her consent to God, that He would demand something of her that would stretch her out of shape and do violence to her own sense of persona. And at last, before she died, she made the great yielding. And to her amazement, the thing that God required of her was to clean our her bureau drawers and keep them clean. And to do this involved the kind of complete revolution in her whole personality that made of her not only a new person, but a more holy person. The nerve center, we don't want to yield. And we will give our money. We will give our talents. We will give our children, our husbands, our wives. We will even give our vocation. And always when we hand one of these to God, His hand stays out waiting. What He wants is the central core, the very essence of you. And then all the other things will begin to work together under the aegis of the centrality of this commitment. And when the church is able to speak out of that, it can address itself not only in its words and in its utterances, in its proclamations, but in the quality of the life that it generates. And all who come within the sweep of its influence will be touched by its glory. And if this does not happen, all the other things are but as filthy rags. What is it you want to do? You want to bring the kingdoms of the world under the aegis and control and will of God? You can do it if you remove me from your path. Do you believe this? Do you believe this? Our words are finished, our Father. We offer the broken lenses or our thoughts and the great boundless yearning of our hearts. Will Thou accept these? Leave us not to the strength of our weakness or the weakness of our strength. But, oh, God, our Father, may we have in us the mind and the spirit that was in Him whom we love so much when we are most ourselves? Our Father, Amen. 4 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Temptations of Jesus (1962, United Church of Canada, London, ON, Canada) Description An account of the resource Howard Thurman’s “The Temptations of Jesus” is a five-part sermon series concerned with how the spiritual attitude orients human encounters with dilemmas. In these presentations, Thurman reflects upon the biblical record of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness – bread, tempting God, and power – his decision to travel to Jerusalem, and his contemplation of death in the Garden of Gethsemane. This series shows that choosing divine purpose over egotism requires aligning with the will of God by getting one’s “self” out of the way of God. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Descriptions by ShaCarolyn Halyard AudioWithTranscription Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript Audio with Transcription <iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-023_A.html" ></iframe> Location The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon United Church of Canada, London, Ontario Time Period The decade in which the recording was produced. 1960s Original Title Title as transcribed from tape cassette The Kingdoms of this World (Canada), 1962 Sep 14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 394-023_A Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Thurman, Howard Title A name given to the resource The Kingdoms of this World, 1962 September 14 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962-09-14 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" alt="80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>. 2019. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant GEOMETRYCOLLECTION(POINT(-9044266.856827 5310050.4960179)) Description An account of the resource In his third sermon regarding Jesus and the tempter, Thurman discusses the dilemma one faces when deciding whether personal ascent to power will compromise one's spiritual integrity. It is possible, Thurman says, that Jesus considered how ruling over the kingdoms of the world might position him to further the aims of God’s kingdom. Perhaps Jesus contemplated the potential of his teaching, healing, and miracle-working power backed by political authority. However, Thurman warns that “the nerve center of our consent” must always go to God. Rather than succumbing to the temptation of expediency, the individual must be invested in a reality beyond one’s own. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard consent Jesus Kingdom of God love power temptation tempter trust https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/files/original/873ff5fc261b02f4d463eccb648d9b7c.pdf 54288663d0ebede7b9c999b31daa20b1 PDF Text Text Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu 394-022_B.mp3 Pitts Theology Library Emory University For there is not a word in my tongue but lo, oh Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or wither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shalt thou hold me. And thy right hand will steady me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me. The darkness hideth not from thee. From thee, thee. But the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins. Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. And in thy book, all my members are written, which, in continuance with fashion, when as yet there was none of them. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting. Everlasting. Amen. As the background for the second leg in our journey, I'm reading two more things from [INAUDIBLE]. And the first is "Martha of Bethany," and the second is "Rich Young Ruler." "It is all very well sitting in the shade of the courtyard talking about your souls. Someone's got to see to the cooking. Standing at the oven all morning with you two taking your ease, it's all very well saying he'd be content with bread and honey. Perhaps he would, but I wouldn't come into our house like this not giving him of our best. Yes, it's all very well, him trying to use you, saying your recipe is best, saying I worry too much, that I'm always anxious. Someone's got to worry, and double if the others don't care. For it's all very well, talking of faith and belief. But what would you do if everyone sat in the cool, not getting their meals? And he can't go wandering and preaching on an empty stomach. He'd die in the first two weeks. Then where would you be, with all your discussions and questions and no one to answer them? It's all very well." And then this. "What must I do, Master, to gain eternal life? From my youth I have kept the commandments, honored my parents, theft, murder, lying, adultery, all these, by God's mercy, have passed me by. What then must I do, Master? What more must I do. Sell all, he replied. And follow me. And easy say, he a carpenter, a carpenter's son, sacrificed nothing. And his man Peter, smirking, self-righteous, what did he lose but some worn nets, a boat share and trade in the market? It wasn't myself I was thinking of, ease and possessions, but the responsibility of wealth towards its dependents. What of them if I had obeyed him? What of my servants? 1 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu That's what I tell myself now. But do I believe it? Then silent, I walked away, watching my sandals while his voice, the voice of my heart, followed me homeward. In misery, I stopped by the lake. His by the crowd wall, I heard him speak of the Kingdom of God, the camel. The needle." Pitts Theology Library Emory University Jesus and the tempter. And the tempter carried him to the pinnacle of the temple. And he said to him, if you are the Son of God, jump. You will not be hurt. God will take care of you. He will give his angels with a special assignment to cover you. They will bear you up on their wings, lest you dash your foot against the stone." And it is written that the master said, "Thou shalt not tempt God. A man must not tempt God, even a holy man, even a good man, even the Son of God." The tempter said, this is not an orderly world, that if a man is able to develop immunity against the relentless logic of antecedent and consequence, he will be able, if he operates within that immunity, to manipulate all levels of existence. For the world is not really orderly. There is no structure of dependability. There is no responsibility of integrity in the very nature of life. This is what the tempter was saying to him. And what did the master say, in essence? That if I go to the pinnacle of the temple and jump down, the possibilities are I will break my neck, Son of God to the contrary notwithstanding, because this is an orderly world. And anyone who acts as if it is not an orderly world, anyone who acts as if his life is not grounded in a structure of dependability tempts God to destroy him. If I'm a good man and I have followed the unfolding of the mind and the spirit and the heart and the life of God in writing the details of my living, does not this quality of righteousness give me the right to expect that life will make an exception in my case? Because I'm different. I am a creative variant. Do you believe that? Some years ago, a friend of mine who was a physician gave me a physical examination. And then he sent me to three or four other men to do tests of various kinds. And at the end of about five weeks, five days, I received the fateful telephone call. And I went and I sat in the chair. You are familiar with the experience. The doctor sits at his desk with the manila folder. And then he looks at these reports. And then he looked at me, and he said, mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And then he held the report up and there was some hesitation. And then great was my relief. And he bowed his head and turned to the next. And finally, he closed the folder. And then looking straight at me, he said, you are in very good shape, good heart, good lungs, et cetera, et cetera. But he said, you are too heavy. And then he talked rather learnedly to me about the bearing of my extra weight on my lungs and heart. And it was all a very technical discussion, more frightening as he went along. And then suddenly, I looked at him. And when I looked at him, I saw that he weighed, of, maybe 230 pounds. And he wasn't any taller than I was. Now, he thought-- and please listen to this-- he thought that his body knew that he was a doctor. 2 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu [LAUGHTER] Pitts Theology Library Emory University His body did not know that he was a doctor. His body knew precisely what my body knew, that he was piling up more caloric units that he was burning up. The fact that he knew gave him no immunity from the relentless operation of the logic of antecedent and consequences. For life is structured in dependability. And unless the knowledge moves out of this awareness, the knowledge itself causes a man to tempt God to destroy him. Man with his mind brooding over the stubborn and recalcitrant aspects of the world of nature, probing here and probing there, until at last, little by little, he woos into his awareness and his ability to utilize some of the tremendous secrets of the world of nature that are part of the fundamental order by which life is held together. And once he understands these, he feels that he is in a position to manipulate them, and to make them instruments of his private will, to use the secrets of nature as we are doing now, those secrets of the atom, to use this in an effort to guarantee and make secure some private place within which the individual or the nation may function with reckless disregard of the necessities by which all of life and all men are bound together in a tight circle. When men take the secrets of nature and manipulate them in that way, the very secrets of nature become armies of the wrath of God. And the logic of light destroys. But if these secrets growing out of the affinity that the mind has with all of the external world, if these secrets become instruments in the hands of men and nations who are determined to use them as a benediction breathing peace, addressing themselves to all the vast ills of the human spirit and the human body, then the very secrets themselves become the moving process by which God expresses his love to his children. What shall I do, said the master? I feel the overwhelming power of my father pulsing through all parts of me. And I am in his hands as a lung through which he breathes. Now, with this kind of deep conviction, why can't I do as I please? Why can't I disregard the structure of dependability that holds life in focus? Why can't I do this? Why can't his church do this, act outside of natural law, moral law, the quality of the experience of the living Gods? Does it not make for a reckless disregard of the order by which life has meaning and significance? This is the problem. And this is what he wrestled with. And his answer, man must not tempt God to destroy him. Have you ever said, I have tried to do my best. I have not withheld my compassion. I have shared the vitality of my religious experience with abiding enthusiasm. I have moved under the grace of God out of a deep center of communion with Jesus Christ. Why is it that the whole structure of logic that holds life together, why does it not work for me because I'm a good man? Life ought to make an exception in my case because the testimony of my experience is that I am different. I think this is the way the master felt. And this is the meaning, as I see it, of that moment of fundamental and searching temptation to operate as if he were not a part of life, as if he were not a part of the human family, and yet, to be able to speak to the condition of the human family. 3 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu And I'm so glad that he held because in my moments of great desperation, when life closes in upon me, and I am involved in the creative sweep of antecedent and consequence, when the details of my life are held together by the inner logic of reaping and sowing, he can speak to me. Pitts Theology Library Emory University But if, in his extremity, facing this kind of searching temptation, he had used some extradimensional aspect of life to escape from the logic, then he could not speak to me because I cannot run that way. And because he held and did not demand that an exception should be made in his case, I can feel his hand on my shoulder speaking the word of re-assurance in which I, too, may overcome. Jump. Nothing will happen to you. The order doesn't hold, as far as you're concerned. Oh, no. No. The order has to hold. And the very order itself is an expression of the love of God. And when I act as if the order does not hold as far as I'm concerned, the very order itself becomes the stalking wrath of God. Which shall it be? For me, for you. Will the order that holds life be your enemy or your friend? Will it be for you the wrath of God or the love of God? And I love him for this great illumination with which the whole landscape of my moral struggle is highlighted and redeemed. Oh, Sabbath rest by Galilee. Oh, calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity interpreted by love. Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our striving cease. Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace. Oh, love of God, love of God. Where would we be without thee? And for him who has made it so clear, all that is within us gives to thee our purest praise and our greatest thanksgiving. Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, our rock and our redeemer. 4 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Temptations of Jesus (1962, United Church of Canada, London, ON, Canada) Description An account of the resource Howard Thurman’s “The Temptations of Jesus” is a five-part sermon series concerned with how the spiritual attitude orients human encounters with dilemmas. In these presentations, Thurman reflects upon the biblical record of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness – bread, tempting God, and power – his decision to travel to Jerusalem, and his contemplation of death in the Garden of Gethsemane. This series shows that choosing divine purpose over egotism requires aligning with the will of God by getting one’s “self” out of the way of God. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Descriptions by ShaCarolyn Halyard AudioWithTranscription Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript Audio with Transcription <iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-022_B.html" ></iframe> Location The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon United Church of Canada, London, Ontario Time Period The decade in which the recording was produced. 1960s Original Title Title as transcribed from tape cassette Tempt God (Canada), 1962 Sep 13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 394-022_B Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Thurman, Howard Title A name given to the resource Tempt God, 1962 September 13 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962-09-13 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" alt="80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>. 2019. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant GEOMETRYCOLLECTION(POINT(-9044266.856827 5310050.4960179)) Description An account of the resource In the second temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Thurman explains why Jesus resisted making himself an exception to the rule of the natural order. The tempter’s efforts to convince Jesus to operate beyond the logic of physical reality was an effort to get him to be less human. Jesus did not act outside of life so that he could speak to human life, Thurman notes. No one can do as one pleases or “disregard the structure of dependability that holds life in focus.” Trusting God rather than seeking exceptions to the natural order is what allows one to feel the closeness of God, Thurman says, and feel the hand of Jesus “on my shoulder speaking the word of reassurance” and offering peace. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard Jesus order peace temptation tempter https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/files/original/8ae0f69211b4a183aa67143f20a450f4.pdf ae9fb1ab160aa20cf5a314867387ce72 PDF Text Text Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu 394-022_A.mp3 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be accepted in thy sight. Oh, Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. Pitts Theology Library Emory University 14 years ago, when it was my privilege to share in the experience of worship at the noon hour with this body, we thought together about Jesus and the disinherited. And this year I want us to think together about Jesus and the tempter. As an immediate background, for the first leg of our journey I am reading two things. One from Oscar Wilde De Profundis. And the other from the British poet, Cleve Sampson. The first from Oscar Wilde. "There is still something to me almost incredible in the idea of a young Galilean peasant, imagining that he could bear on his own shoulders the burden of the entire world. All that had already been done and suffered, and all that was yet to be born and suffered, the sins of Nero of Alexander the VI. And of him who was emperor of Rome and priest of the sun. The sufferings of those whose names are legion and whose dwelling is among the tombs. Oppressed nationalities, factory children, thieves, people in prison, outcasts, those who are dumb under oppression, and whose silence is heard only of God. And not merely imagining this, but actually achieving it, so that at the present moment, all who come in contact with this personality, even though they may neither bow to his altar or kneel before his priests, in some way find that the ugliness of their sin is taken away. And the beauty of their sorrow revealed to them. And this, from the British poet on the brothers of Jesus. "Going from Nazareth? Where? To the Jordan Valley? Leaving your own home, and your trade, your own kinsfolk. For what? For an unwashed creature, a ranting hermit who sacrificed family, and wealth, and a seat in the priesthood for locusts and prophecies. Why, you're mad. Insane. Selling your life for a whim. A religious frenzy. Yes. You're mad. Will you share his faith and his filth? Outcast like him, rejected by a brother and friend, a life of rebellion, hunger, and shameful death. If the thought of that leaves you unmoved then remember us, your brothers and sisters, the mother who gave you birth. Look at her there. Standing in tears, forsaken, bewildered, left by her first-born-- you, the head of the household. Think of her neighbors' looks, the humiliation, her fears, and her griefs. What do you say? Whoever obeys the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, my sister, my mother. By the God of Israel will you preach at us? Your ministry start at home. Better recall, if you can, your father in Nazareth. Your pledge to him, your promise of filial care. You shall honor your father and mother. Remember that when you mouth your texts. Remember that. And carry forever the shame of your father's children. 1 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu After the decision to go to John to be baptized, the decision seems very simple, perhaps. But what must have been going on in the master's mind as He was able at last to bring himself to the point of decision? Is this the best? The best and most precise expression of the will, and the intent, and the purpose of God that appears on the horizon? Pitts Theology Library Emory University If I identify myself with this movement that is calling all of Israel to repentance, does this undermine in any sense either the integrity or the authenticity of my own deep and searching experience of my Father? How much do I give up of what is so clear to me, if by my act I say yes to something that is not in my mind and spirit? What is the full, or the most completely adequate expression of the intent of God, my Father? And then, the baptism. How I wish I had been there. Coming up out of the water, feeling that at last this is the moment above all moments in a man's life when all that he is and does at a moment in time has the complete sanction and approval of God. You are my son. And what you have done makes me very happy. Have you ever had a moment like that? When all ambivalences disintegrated. When all the wondering aspects of your life were brought into creative focus. And you felt at last, all of me, at every level of my being, has the imprimatur of God. So he goes under the aegis of this movement of the spirit of God in him, into a lonely place-- a desert place, as the gospel puts it. There to let the central experience which he had move to all the hinterlands of his thinking and his dreaming, as a son of Israel. And this takes time. It's like a little ditty I read some time ago about the dachshund dog. He met a man and he was barking furiously at the man, the hair rising on the back of his neck, his eyes flashing. But his tail was wagging in a very friendly manner, because his tail was just then registering some good emotions that he had two weeks before. [LAUGHTER] It takes time for that which is the moment of complete integration that involves the totality of all lungs that one means by one's self. Totally. To move out, until all of the regions-- the farthest regions of one's total life and context-- and informed by the quality of the central experience. And after a long time, something that had been on the periphery of his consciousness began to move towards the center. And suddenly, he realized that he was hungry. And always-- always the critical temptation is there for spiritual experience. For Christian experience. Establish some other than self-reference for the validity of the integrity of the experience itself. Reduce the experience to something that is empirical, so that there may be an unperturbed aspect of one's life that will always be ready to save the individual from self-deception in his experience. Turn the stones to bread and feed yourself. And then you will know that the depths and the heights of your experience will be secure. 2 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu Just outside the loop in Chicago, there's a congregational church. And in that church, over the altar, there is a painting by some contemporary American artist. A painting of the master in the wilderness. And as you sit in the pew watching this picture, and your eyes become adjusted to the soft light that illumines it, you see all around the master's head many, many hands clutching at his mind. Pitts Theology Library Emory University How important is bread in my mission, as I seek to make literal fat out of the literal proof that I have experienced? Man must not live by bread. I wonder how many times did he say it. Man must not live by bread. Man must not live by bread. Man must not live by bread. But he does live by breads. Breads. Man must somehow build windbreaks against the impersonal social aura. And the impersonal natural aura behind which it is possible for him to build some measure of private and personal community. That he reproduces kind, and therefore fulfill an important dimension of his destiny. Man must not-- must not live by bread. And then, how long the stillness was, we do not know. Whether it was a short period like the zone of treacherous quiet, or whether it was an extended thing that lasted through many, many hours of wrestling day and night, we do not know. But between the first part of the sentence, and the last word, there is a desert and a sea. Man must not live by bread alone. That sentence. And the two worlds came together in creative synthesis. Man must not live by bread alone. That sentence. But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, that the world is practical, that man must have bread to eat, men must have shelter, they must protect themselves from all of these things that would obliterate and level out their lives. So that they will have no sense of purpose. Yes. But the bias. the emphasis, the prejudice, if you will, of the life, must be on the side of those things that cannot be reduced to manageable units for handling for utility. And there is something so very dramatic and impressive about the thisness and thatness of life, the things that are tangible. And men, again and again feel that somehow if they can identify themselves with these things that have an existence independent of the will and the whim of the personality that stand always on the horizon, they are there. And when I lose my way they become points of referral for me. So that the way In which thieves insinuate themselves into the grounds of emotional security is always one of the insistent and persistent problems of spiritual growth. So it was here. Period. Man must not live by breads alone. But the time and the place of man's life on the earth is the time and the place of his body. But the meaning and the significance of his life is as vast, and transcendent, and creative, as is the will and the energy of God, breathing through the integrity of his commitment. Man must not live by breads alone. But by every word that issues, issues, issues, from God. And to lose this is to lose everything. And to have everything and not have this is to have nothing. And there are no words by which I can say my praise to Him who casts this shaft of light at the pathway of all men who stand at that particular point in the darkness. In-- in the darkness. In the darkness. 3 �Pitts Theology Library The Howard Thurman Digital Archive Transcription thurman.pitts.emory.edu Pitts Theology Library Emory University Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord, Lord. Lord. My rock. And my salvation. 4 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Temptations of Jesus (1962, United Church of Canada, London, ON, Canada) Description An account of the resource Howard Thurman’s “The Temptations of Jesus” is a five-part sermon series concerned with how the spiritual attitude orients human encounters with dilemmas. In these presentations, Thurman reflects upon the biblical record of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness – bread, tempting God, and power – his decision to travel to Jerusalem, and his contemplation of death in the Garden of Gethsemane. This series shows that choosing divine purpose over egotism requires aligning with the will of God by getting one’s “self” out of the way of God. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Descriptions by ShaCarolyn Halyard AudioWithTranscription Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript Audio with Transcription <iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-022_A.html" ></iframe> Location The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon United Church of Canada, London, Ontario Time Period The decade in which the recording was produced. 1960s Original Title Title as transcribed from tape cassette Not By Bread Alone (Canada), 1962 Sep 12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 394-022_A Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Thurman, Howard Title A name given to the resource Not By Bread Alone, 1962 September 12 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1962-09-12 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available <a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" alt="80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>. 2019. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant GEOMETRYCOLLECTION(POINT(-9044266.856827 5310050.4960179)) Description An account of the resource In this sermon, Thurman discusses the strangeness associated with following Jesus and taking up the life of ministry. The strangeness of this act is that one must leave the known for the unknown, convert family into strangers, and assume a spiritual orientation to a material world. When Jesus opted not to turn stones into bread he must have done so, Thurman muses, knowing that while humans do not live by bread, alone, they do live by bread. While the time men and women spend on earth is a time of the body, the meaning of life is vast and transcends the body. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard body integrity Jesus self-deception spirit temptation tempter