Black Traditions of Contemplation
E. Trey Clark, a Professor of Preaching and Spiritual Formation, considers the rich history of Black contemplative preaching in the CAC’s latest issue ofONEING: A Living Tradition:
In Christian faith traditions, contemplative preaching is a mode of proclamation that weds prayer, wisdom, and reflection to invite listeners into a transformative encounter with God for the good of the world and the glory of God….
Black contemplative preaching is shaped by the holistic spirituality, communal orientation, and vibrant orality that is part of the rich Africana heritage—even when embodied outside of predominantly Black contexts. Moreover, Black contemplative preaching unites the head and the heart, the personal and the communal, and spiritual formation and social transformation as it bears witness to the liberating and life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. While recognizing that contemplation is ultimately a gift, Black contemplative preachers seek to guide people to experience loving communion with the divine, while also pursuing the flourishing of Black people and all of God’s creation.…
It is essential to note that Black contemplative preaching is not a recent development. Its deep roots can be traced to the lineage of biblical prophets such as Moses, Isaiah, Mary, and Jesus himself. Moreover, it stems from a tradition of African mystics, including St. Anthony, Moses the Black, and St. Mary of Egypt. It is also part of a larger history of mystic preachers in the Christian tradition that includes Augustine of Hippo, Hildegard of Bingen, St. Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, and others. [1]
Building on this tradition of Black contemplative preaching, Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman (1899–1981) offers a vision of life as a shared harvest. He reminds us that our lives are part of a communal process of sowing, ripening, and reaping together:
This is the season of gathering in, the season of the harvest in nature. Many things that were started in the spring and early summer have grown to fruition and are now ready for reaping. Great and significant as is the harvest in nature, the most pertinent kind of in-gathering for the human spirit is what I call “the harvest of the heart.” Long ago, Jesus said that [people] should not lay up for themselves treasure on earth, where moths corrupt and thieves break in and steal, but that [people] should lay up for themselves treasures in heaven [Matthew 6:19–20]. This insight suggests that life consists of planting and harvesting, of sowing and reaping. We are always in the midst of the harvest and always in the midst of the planting…. Living is a shared process. Even as I am conscious of things growing in me planted by others, which things are always ripening, so others are conscious of things growing in them planted by me, which are always ripening. Inasmuch as I do not live or die unto myself, it is of the essence of wisdom for me conscientiously to live and die in the profound awareness of other people. The statement, “Know thyself,” has been take mystically from the statement, “Thou has seen thy brother, thou hast seen thy God.”
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| OCT 22, 2025 The Power of Prayer + Praise. Skye Jethani. With God Daily |
 Throughout the New Testament, prayer is repeatedly mentioned as a central activity of the gathered church. Today, however, prayer has been sidelined or abandoned as an element of worship in many congregations. It seems that our appetite for uplifting music or a self-help sermon has eaten the time in our services that had previously been used for intercession and confession. This trend reveals a misunderstanding or disregard for the link between prayer and praise.Prayer has many purposes, but among its most elemental is self-revelation. In prayer, we reveal ourselves to God; we remove the layers of pretense and posturing to expose the truth of who we are—our sins, our fears, our joys, and our sorrows. This unashamed self-revelation is boldly depicted in the psalms, where God’s people cry out to him with uncomfortable transparency. Their prayers were brutally honest and sometimes bordered on blasphemous. But that’s what prayer is for; it’s how we present the truth of what’s in us to God. It is the Christian’s tool for self-revelation.Praise, on the other hand, is a tool of divine revelation. Through the recitation of Scripture and the singing of hymns and songs, we are reminded of God’s character and recall his deeds. Praise recalibrates our imaginations to see ourselves and our world in light of God’s presence and power. We also see this in the psalms as the poems frequently shift from the self-revelation of the author’s sin, fear, or struggle to conclude with a focus on God’s love, power, or faithfulness. The psalms take us on a journey from human frailty to divine sovereignty—and so should the church’s worship.When the church gathers, we are to have our self-revelation through prayer recalibrated by God’s divine-revelation through praise. Both are essential. If we abandon praise, the church gathering becomes a collection of victims defined by their brokenness and doubts as they search for self-improvement tips and therapeutic advice. If we abandon prayer, the church gathering becomes a concert where unreflective people seek a temporary high through euphoric music. Transformative worship embraces both prayer and praise. It invites us to expose the truth about ourselves but then covers us with the truth of God’s love. SCRIPTURE JOHN 4:19-24 PSALM 42:1-11 WEEKLY PRAYER. From Charles Kingsley (1819 – 1875) Take from us, O God, all pride and vanity, all boasting and self-assertiveness, and give us the true courage that shows itself by gentleness; the true wisdom that shows itself by simplicity; and the true power that shows itself by modesty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
