The Mood of Christmas & Other Celebrations

by Howard Thurman

These brief meditations incorporate the hope , celebration , love , compassion , and blessing of the Christmas season and encourage us to find them throughout the year. Features include the poem , "The Work of Christmas," "When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone...The Work of Christmas begins..."; and "I Will Light Candles This Christmas," "Candles of joy, despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage for fears ever present, Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days..." "I know that the experiences of unity in human relations are more compelling than the concepts, the fears, the prejudices, which divide. Despite the tendency to feel my race superior, my nation the greatest nation, my faith the true faith, I must beat down the boundaries of my exclusiveness until my sense of separateness is completely enveloped in a sense of fellowship . I will light the candle of fellowship this Christmas, a candle that must burn all the year long." - The Mood of Christmas & Other Celebrations by Howard Thurman

Genres: Christmas, Spirituality, Religion, Theology, Christianity

127 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1985

About the author

Howard Washington Thurman was an author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. As a prominent religious figure, he played a leading role in many social justice movements and organizations of the twentieth century.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book better than I did. I have a great deal of respect for Howard Thurman, but found his writing here very uneven. IMO, the poetry was much more evocative and insightful than his prose.

[Cara Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way he puts some things into words … I am smitten for Mr. Thurman.

[Bert van der Vaart · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the excellent "Jesus and the Disinherited,", I was happy to see this collection of Christmas/New Year meditations by Howard Thurman. First published as a collection in 1973, the book consists of meditations, poems and homilies over the 20 odd years before then. Thurman is perceptive, critical and yet full of grace and conscious of beauty. Among the many deep and well-turned phrases:

1) "The scientific mood does not imply that other moods are fatuous or futile; it does not hold that the truths it enables men to discover are the only truths...[the scientist] knows too well that behind the symbols of mathematics and the formulae of chemistry and physics and the rigid generalizations of psychology and social sciences lie the unexplained mysteries of twilight and music, of autumn nights fringed with silver, of human fortitude and idealism."

2) "...the birth of Jesus remains the symbol of the dignity and the inherent worthfulness of the common man."

3) " The warmth of the candlelight glowing against the darkness.
The birth of a child linking past to the future'
The symbol of love absorbing all violence
THIS IS CHRISTMAS."

4) "Keep alive the dream; for as long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance of living."

5) "Power always involves a man in a network of compromises. This is true because a man has to be selfless in relation to his ideals or be destroyed by them..."

He calls us, with the contemplation of the redemption of Christ, always to raise our ceiling of hopes--trusting in God to achieve higher things in His plan, rather than settle for little goals.

Very notable is his poem, "The Great Incarnate Words", which in free verse does an excellent job of summarizing the thesis of Jesus and the Disinherited.

Howard Thurman does a wonderful job in both exposing the evil behind racism and oppression of all sorts, and pointing the way forward to love and reconciliation among all children of God. A very useful book for Advent devotions.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advent Read #3 of 3: I was introduced to Thurman's work during this year's Conspire conference (thanks, Brian McLaren). His written voice, on its own, is beautiful; his wisdom, communicated in that voice, is luminous. I needed this. I have a feeling I'm going to need more Thurman in 2019 to keep "the growing edge" in sight.

[Sigrid Fry-Revere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very insightful and relaxing to read. No new insights for me, but I enjoyed some of the vignettes.

[Rosario Wolters · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much wisdom and joy in this book, not just for the holiday season but for the whole year.

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of poems and prose meditations. Mainly for the Christmas and New Year season but some are relevant all year.

[Betsy]

Should revisit this next Advent

[Cheryl]

I have a different edition I think

[Jonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Thurman....always an inspiration.

[Karen reading]

Finished this read in full on 01/06/26; prior in full reads: 12/31/10, 12/31/12, 12/31/16, 01/03/20, 12/31/23; selected readings from the other annual Christmas seasons after 2010.