Because: Finding New Life This Advent with Howard Thurman’s Inspiring Words
Show Notes — To Be snd Do Podcast
Episode Title: Advent.1
In this heartfelt Advent-themed episode, host Philip Amerson invites listeners to pause and reflect during the December season, connecting the journey of Advent to wisdom found in the writings of Howard Thurman. As the world starts to buzz with Christmas preparations, Philip Amerson gently directs our attention towards deeper, more meaningful reflections on what it means for “Christmas to be waiting to be born” not only in history, but within each of us and across humankind.
The episode opens with personal memories and literary reverence for Howard Thurman—a profound theologian, spiritual leader, and former dean at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel. Quoting Thurman’s influential book Jesus and the Disinherited, Philip Amerson encourages listeners to explore this text for its ongoing relevance and transformative perspective on faith, justice, and compassion.
Drawing listeners closer, Philip Amerson recites Thurman's poem, "Christmas is Waiting to be Born," published in 1985. With vivid imagery, the poem highlights places and people in our world where hope seems distant: refugees seeking deliverance, children who lose their innocence too soon, the elderly facing loneliness, and everyday struggles marked by fear or longing. In these scenes, Thurman locates the spirit of Christmas—not in glitter or gift-giving, but in acts and moments where hope, love, and justice are desperately needed.
Throughout the episode, Philip Amerson blends personal anecdote with homage, sharing a story about Joe Emerson, a student of Thurman, who fondly recalled Thurman’s slow, deliberate speaking style that made his pearls of wisdom all the more memorable. This recollection underscores the enduring presence and impact of Thurman's voice—which, much like the message of Advent, continues to call us into deeper awareness and compassionate action.
Takeaway Points:
- The Spirit of Christmas is Found in Hard Places: “Christmas is waiting to be born” not amid comfort and plenty, but in the hearts of refugees, children, the elderly, and all who yearn for hope.
- Howard Thurman's Wisdom Remains Vital: His poetry and books, especially Jesus and the Disinherited, challenge us to ask what makes us come alive—and to pursue it for the world's sake.
- Advent is a Call to Deep Personal Renewal: The episode invites us to let the transformative spirit of Christmas be “born” within ourselves, becoming a source of hope and love for others.
- Remember the Power of Slow Wisdom: Taking time to absorb thoughtful words—like Thurman’s—can shape us in profound ways as we move into the season ahead.
As you move through Advent, may Thurman’s wisdom and Philip Amerson’s reflections inspire deep hope and renewal in your own life and community.
Philip Amerson [00:00:02]:
Hello again, good friends. This is Phil Amerson
Phillip Amerson [00:00:05]:
It's December or Advent 2025. Every Christmas season, as it approaches every Advent, I think of the wonderful poem by Howard Thurman. He was the dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University School of Theology. He was on the faculty there.
Philip Amerson [00:00:28]:
Howard Thurman wrote so many important pieces. But the book that has been singularly.
Philip Amerson [00:00:35]:
Important for me and many others is a book entitled Jesus and the Disinherited. I encourage you to check it out.
Philip Amerson [00:00:44]:
Some of you will know already about Howard Thurman and his work. He, of course.
Philip Amerson [00:00:52]:
Is most famous for.
Philip Amerson [00:00:53]:
The quote, don't ask yourself what the world needs.
Philip Amerson [00:00:59]:
Ask yourself what makes you come alive.
Philip Amerson [00:01:03]:
Go and do that.
Philip Amerson [00:01:05]:
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. So hear this poem by Howard thurman, published in 1985, entitled Christmas is Waiting to be Born. Where refugees seek deliverance that never comes. And the heart consumes itself if it would live.
Philip Amerson [00:01:37]:
Where little children age before their time.
Philip Amerson [00:01:39]:
And life wears down the edges of the mind. Where the old man sits with mind grown cold While bones and sinew, blood and cell go slowly down to death. Where fear companions each day's life.
Philip Amerson [00:02:02]:
And.
Philip Amerson [00:02:03]:
Perfect love seems long delayed. Christmas is waiting to be born in you, in me and in all humankind. How appropriate it seems that those words.
Philip Amerson [00:02:31]:
Written now.
Philip Amerson [00:02:34]:
So many years ago.
Phillip Amerson [00:02:37]:
Fit.
Philip Amerson [00:02:37]:
Our time of refugees, of children that are left behind, of seniors, people who struggle each day. My friend Joe Emerson was a student with Howard Thurman. And Joe used to talk about that with me.
Philip Amerson [00:02:56]:
And he said.
Philip Amerson [00:02:57]:
Thurman spoke so slowly, we didn't have trouble taking notes. I'm told he had a wonderful, sonorous baritone voice.
Philip Amerson [00:03:08]:
And so this Advent season.
Philip Amerson [00:03:12]:
Grab hold.
Philip Amerson [00:03:13]:
Of Howard Thurman, his ideas, his poetry, his writing. But remember this poem. Christmas is waiting to be born in you.
Phillip Amerson [00:03:29]:
In me.
Philip Amerson [00:03:32]:
And in all humankind. God bless during this Advent season, Christmas.
Philip Amerson [00:03:41]:
And into the year ahead.
