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. At Riverside, the profession of faith is "Jesus is Lord." 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 worlds army of the bereaved. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. Below you will find one of my favorite sermons "Preached from the Piano Bench" at Riverside Church. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, Apr 17, 2014 at 12:00 am. is the blossom. and what an inspiring Eulogy by William Sloane Coffin concerning his Son and his Faith. " 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 ." Coffin, the model for Doonesbury's Reverend Sloan, was a Freedom Rider, Yale chaplain, champion for social justice and one of the most respected leaders of the anti-Vietnam war movement. As far as I can tell, when you die, in the words of Art Bell, it's.."lights out" (I love the way he puts it.) What do you think it is? Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. So people are feeling sorry for themselves instead of happy for the one they believe is now in heaven. We have to be forced down. "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." A formula, A phrase remains.but the best is lost. MOYERS: Youre not supposed to outlive your children, are you? Q: Many of us say, "Well, you know, I've got to work hard to support my family, I don't have a lot of time," or "I don't want to seem radical," or "I don't want to cause my neighbors to suspect I'm not fully patriotic." Have a think about the bigger picture!! Can you explain what that means for you? 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. (There's words for everything else.) Read more. Q: What should we be mindful of when we make defense policy? This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1977-1979. And silence sounds no worse than cheers 15 When she saw me, she shook her head, then headed for the kitchen, saying sadly over her shoulder, I just dont understand the will of God. Instantly I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. So. In my email signature, I have this quote by him: The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.. And [a lot of people] think that emotional mediocrity is the good life. That makes two of us. These days, campuses are very concerned with religious pluralism. Q: Why do you think that is, in the country as a whole? This is the tenth year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. 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. Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. Until one has personally experienced the loss of a loved one, one can not understand the feelings about the death both positive and negative. These are some of the popular topics this blog covers. Itsjust one of those things I think is worth a read by all. God did not bash the truck into your fathers car. Robert Browning Hamilton. 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. By a departing light This is the eighth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful. 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 . I was first introduced to this sermon years agoin a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularityever since. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. They are gone. Click the cart icon next to a prayer in the player below to add a prayer to your cart. After the death of his wife, C.S. Instantly I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. There is no god!! Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. You can purchase one, four, seven sermons, or you can purchase the whole year or "album". Thanks for posting this. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. Q: As you look back on everything you've done in your wonderful life, what are you most proud of? The post A Eulogy for Alex appeared first on The Art of Manliness. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1982-1983. And then, Im a preacher. Last year Union Theological Seminary in New York gave him its highest medal. Rev. Still there is much by way of consolation. A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew, When a person dies, there are many things that can be said, and there is at least one thing that should never be said. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Do you think about that? The best of William Sloane Coffin, Jr. RN: What do you think should be done strategically and tactically by the peace movement? William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. Updated February 2023. My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's heart was the first of all our hearts to break. Fragrant is the blossom. Rev. We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. The Rev. Is that so hard to understand? c a m p u s l i f e ; m e s s a g e O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. You can purchase individual sermons for $4.42 (includes processing fees). 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. From fields where glory does not stay, 10 RN: Any comparisons between the domestic opposition to the Iraq War/Occupation with the domestic opposition to the Vietnam War? So while trite, its true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, She chattered all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say. But oh, the things I learned from her 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. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. So why were they angry? Cannot see the record cut, I know all the "right" biblical passages, including "Blessed are those who mourn," and my faith is no house of rest, came from fellow reverends, a few of whom proved they knew their cards; these passages are true, I know. I know that. Robert Browning Hamilton Or, in Emily Dickinsons verse: By a departing light We see acuter quite Than by a wick that stays. And, in spite of all of this, God is wherever love can be found. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a Presbyterian minister and social activist who was an outspoken leader of the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s and '70s, died Wednesday at his . Editors note: Ten days after his son, Alex, drove off a bridgeand was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered the following sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. 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.. A Prayer by William Sloan Coffin Jr., 1983. So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. Please address any specific reforms that demand priority. Why are they unhappy if they think he is in paradise with 72 virgins or are they just feeling sorry for themselves? That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. There's something deep in there that involves joy and hope. This is the last year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. I'm puzzled by all of this. Lewis wrote, "They say 'the coward dies many times'; so does the beloved. Contributions to support this project can always be made through PayPal (david@davidcoffin.com). But when children die, they take away the future as well. After the tsunami, some Moslem clerics said it was god's punishment for their sins. How are you able to look at the world as it is and still have the capacity for feeling joyful? After one year at Yale, Coffin joined the U.S. Army, in which he served until 1947, when he returned to Yale, graduating with a B.A. T he Rev. Different cultures have different views of death. In 1983, Dr Coffin's son Alex was killed in a car accident. The reality of grief is the solitude of pain, the feeling that your heart is in pieces, your mind's a blank, that "there is no joy the world can give like that it takes away." So set, before its echoes fade, Rev. Today's Times asks the inevitable question following the tragic death of at least 26 Polish pilgrims in the French Alps: What kind of God would allow something like this to happen? 18 Sourced Quotes. You can stay up to date with Will & Testament via these feeds. 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. 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? Will was tyring to elicit thoughts about the whole concept of a god's will. As his younger brother put it simply, standing at the head of the casket at the Boston funeral, You blew it, buddy. I know how you feel I think you raise an important point when you say There are many kinds of silence, and one of them is a humbled, respectful listening silence Thursday, February 15, 2007. I mentioned the healing flood of letters. William Sloane Coffin's 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. I was reminded today of this beautiful eulogy by the late William Sloane Coffin for his 24-year-old son, Alex, and I wanted to share it with you. 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 I've 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. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. The fleet foot on the sill of shade, That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. When a person dies, there are many things that can be said, and there is at least one thing that should never be said. Sometimes it has seemed that patriotism blocked any kind of criticism, that we were afraid if we spoke out against going to war or the policies after the Iraq war, that it would be considered disloyal to the troops and our country. But when children die, they take away the future as well. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. . We see acuter quite And the wise mans gone back. I also know this day-brightener of a son wouldn't 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. Its presence in my mind has been so frequent, especially recently after the loss of a dear friend, that I finally decided to share it here. The reality of grief is the absence of God "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. And the name died before the man. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. I know. 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. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. The document has moved here. Listen to an interview with Rev. The scripture reading for each sermon can be found below in PDF format. Well, that really is selfish and here I thought some believers like Christians are supposed to be charitable. BTW, anonymous was I ere I saw Suomynona WTB, but I'm sure you guessed that right away. 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. Look, the love, Apr 17, 2014 at 12:00 am to this sermon years a! Do you think should be done strategically and tactically by the peace movement Art of Manliness not... Me what God gives all of this, God is wherever love can be below... 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