The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sisters house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. BBC 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. COFFIN: What this country needs, what I think God wants us to do, is not practice piecemeal charity but engage in wholesale justice. I did grief work. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. These prayers may be purchased separately but they are included in the actual sermons too. What makes you think you dont limp?, Love measures our stature. I swear to you, I wouldnt be standing here were I not upheld. Last week my senior minister shared with me a sermon dated January 23, 1983 (Palm Sunday) written by William Sloane Coffin. Rev. In my case on the death of my wife they were summed up well in a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay entitled Dirge without Music. "Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.". It is incredible and very powerful. Eyes the shady night has shut ABERNETHY: I spoke with Coffin about growing old. My own broken heart is mending, and largely thanks to so many of you, my dear parishioners; for if in the last week I have relearned one lesson, it is that love not only begets love, it transmits strength. Just click the play button. God does not spill milk. Which is not to say that there are no nature-caused deaths I can think of many right here in this parish in the five years Ive been here deaths that are untimely and slow and pain-ridden, which for that reason raise unanswerable questions, and even the specter of a Cosmic Sadist yes, even an Eternal Vivisector. 00:00 $ 75.00 Sermons from Riverside Church 1982 Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible., I love the recklessness of faith. In this best-seller, Coffin gives a powerful record of his remarkable public life, offering his. 2023 Barbara Becker / All Beings Everywhere. We have to be forced down. It remains a heartfelt classic in homiletics. so if God doesnt will these things to happen, why does he let them happen? If the order gets mixed up, thats misery. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" You blew it. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is It is the will of God. Never do we know enough to say that. First you leap, and then you grow wings., It is often said that the Church is a crutch. And that's what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. "William Sloan Coffin, who died yesterday at 81, was among the foremost pacifists of his generation, and set the mold for the liberal activist preacher." When a person dies, there are many things that can be said, and there is at least one thing that should never be said. Elegant and curled There is no smaller package in all the world than that of a man all wrapped up in himself.', 'Prophets from Amos and Isaiah to Gandhi and King have shown how frequently compassion demands confrontation. But its a fact: few of us are naturally profound. But the point is this. William Sloane Coffin Jr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. (born 1924) was a Yale University chaplain who spoke out against the Vietnam War and was indicted as a criminal by the United States government for conspiring to aid young men to avoid the military draft.. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Rev. How much suffering? Nationalism at the expense of another nation, is just as wicked as racism at the expense of another race. He liked it here. The Rev. As the grief that once seemed unbearable begins to turn now to bearable sorrow, the truths in the right biblical passages are beginning, once again, to take hold: Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall strengthen thee; Weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning; Lord, by thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand strong; For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling; In this world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world; The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. And finally I know that when Alex beat me to the grave, the finish line was not Boston Harbor in the middle of the night. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave. Rev. Rev. If you had a pastoral visit with the president, what would you say? God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. Thursday, February 15, 2007. Read more. There's something deep in there that involves joy and hope. "Eulogy for Alex" by William Sloane Coffin William Crawley | 12:42 UK time, Friday, 27 July 2007. Q: As you look back on everything you've done in your wonderful life, what are you most proud of? If we (me included) could only get a fraction of a grasp between the difference between time and eternity we would cling much less to time and be closer to God's perspective. But the point is this. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. 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In a prideful way it would be easier to walk the valley alone, nobly, head high, instead of as we must marching as the latest recruit in the world's army of the bereaved. What an interesting article William If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. This is the fifth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. is the blossom. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., (born June 1, 1924, New York, New York, U.S.died April 12, 2006, Strafford, Vermont, U.S.), American clergyman and civil rights activist who achieved national prominence as the chaplain (1958-75) at Yale University, where he became a familiar figure on campus, championing civil rights and opposing the Vietnam War. I also know this day-brightener of a son wouldnt wish to be held close by grief (nor, for that matter, would any but the meanest of our beloved departed) and that, interestingly enough, when I mourn Alex least I see him best. Sloan from Doonesbury; New Documentary: WWilliam Sloane Coffin: A Lover's . But just one thing before you read it Heres one of my favorite Coffin-isms, from an interview with Bill Moyers when Coffin was 80: Chirping optimism is terrible. Than by a wick that stays. Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind; So why the grief, self pity? And find unwithered on its curls Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short; Grace to risk something big for something good; And grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. Embed. What do you think it is? Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, Joan Halifax, Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communicatoins of the Dying, How Can I Help? If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin By William Sloane Coffin Book Review An impressive collection of sermons by William Sloan Coffin delivered from 1977 to 1982. Letters to a Young Doubter By William Sloane Coffin Book Review Letters by the inimitable Christian progressive on faith, doubt, Jesus, and the insanities of a world awash . RN: What should the U.S. government do now? But if anyone dare speak in response to this tragic accident, they could learn much from William Sloane Coffin, the American justice activist who died last year, about what not to say to. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. c a m p u s l i f e ; m e s s a g e We see acuter quite You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. Q: You have, in the course of your life, participated in a good many great causes and have done so with a lot of passion. Wind your head in John!! Would it be abhorrent to find that intensely funny? I mentioned the healing flood of letters. God gave man dominion over the world at the beginning - and free will - and man so man has had the responsibility for his conduct since then, and for infecting all of creation with his sin. Among the healing flood of letters that followed his death was one carrying this wonderful quote from the end of Hemingways A Farewell to Arms: The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places. My own broken heart is mending, and largely thanks to so many of you, my dear parishioners; for if in the last week I have relearned one lesson, it is that love not only begets love, it transmits strength. And read the poems. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. Can you explain what that means for you? But the things I learned from her Still there is much by way of consolation. The Theology of William Sloane Coffin Thursday, February 15, 2007 Eulogy for Alex Ten days after his son, Alex, was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered this sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. Rev. But I think much of our exasperation could be tempered if we could see our lives more from God's perspective than our own. William Sloane Coffin's Eulogy for Alex This was sent my way as a follow-up on my sermon. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The common attribution to the eighteenth-century statesman Alexander Hamilton was probably based on a mistaken understanding of a relatively modern citation. Stories and Reflections on Service, Ram Dass and Paul Gorman, Knocking on Heavens Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death, Katy Butler, Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche. RN: What broader advice do you have for strengthening our democracy and confronting the concentration of power and wealth over the life sustaining directions our country (with its impact on the world) needs to take? So why were they angry? What do you say to those people? And set you at your threshold down, This invaluable anthology is the first and only collection dedi William Sloane Coffin, Jr. (born 1924) was a Yale University chaplain who spoke out against the Vietnam War and was indicted as a criminal by the United States government for conspiring to aid young men to avoid the military draft. So what is the role of the university chaplain? Q: Many, many religious conservatives read the same Scripture that you do and come out very differently on social issues. W. & J. Sloane was a furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the wealthy. Different cultures have different views of death. Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. Q: After September 11 there was a surge of patriotism. William Sloane Coffin served as chaplain of Yale University and Williams College, was senior minister of Riverside Church, and is President Emeritus of SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.". Heres how Coffin explained how he managed to write and deliver this eulogy so soon after his sons death (from an interview with Bill Moyers): COFFIN: Well. And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. This well-intentioned person had brought in a dinner for Coffin and his family and said, "I just don't understand the will of God." He said: "I'll say you don't, friend. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. But the things I learned from her The garland briefer than a girls. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Yes, but at least, My God, my God; and the psalm only begins that way, it doesnt end that way. A Eulogy for Alex Editor's note: Ten days after his son, Alex, drove off a bridge and was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered the following sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. (Lord Byron). William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. William Sloane Coffin, who died Wednesday at the age of 81 of congestive heart failure, was known as a civil rights activist and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. The still-defended challenge-cup. This is amazing. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a United Church of Christ minister known globally for his peace and justice advocacy, died April 12 at his home in rural Strafford, Vermont. A powerful eulogy. But you seem to be able to deal with these problems in a way that recalls some deep confidence. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. From fields where glory does not stay, 10 As you look around the country today, I wonder whether you see an absence of commitment to great causes with great passion. Bill Coffin was such a man. In other word, good patriots are not nationalists. And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? And, in spite of all of this, God is wherever love can be found. "A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply . These are all end of sermon prayers from the Sunday sermon delivered at Riverside Church. So if you want to know where God is in this or in anything, look for love., Your email address will not be published. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. What can be done to turn this public support into organized opposition? #Firsts #Leap #Wings. COFFIN: No. The title of the sermon is "Alex's Death" and it comes on the heals of Rev. But when children die, they take away the future as well. He was 81.. The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sisters house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. April 12, 2006 / 7:32 PM / AP. In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA officer, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of H. Richard Niebuhr's social philosophy led him to . 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