And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. A good question, Suzy. 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 someone whose heart is breaking. So if you want to know where God is in this or in anything, look for love., Your email address will not be published. Download Sermon Scripture List(84 kb - PDF). The common attribution to the eighteenth-century statesman Alexander Hamilton was probably based on a mistaken understanding of a relatively modern citation. I did grief work. But it's a fact: few of us are naturally profound. RN: How is Vermont a model in this respect? Thanks for posting this. 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. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Alex, as he was called, was killed in a car accident in 1983 when he was only. There was a funny one on the Twilight Zone where as I recall, the story opens with people from all over a small Western town sitting around in a bar lamenting the loss of their beloved dearly departed. William Sloane Coffin. So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind. 18 Sourced Quotes. As almost all of you know, a week ago last Monday night, driving in a terrible storm, my son Alexander who to his friends was a real day-brightener, and to his family fair as a star when only one is shining in the sky my twenty-four-year-old Alexander, who enjoyed beating his old man at every game and in every race, beat his father to the grave. Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. For all she had to say. But when children die, they take away the future as well. Q: Where does the rise of conservatism, especially on the religious Right among Protestant evangelicals, fit into this whole thing? While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. 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. 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. Online shopping from a great selection at Books Store. The older I get, the more I accept that death is the inevitable consequence of life, why can't believers? After the death of his wife, C.S. " 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. Details are given further below. William Sloane Coffin. I know how lucky I am! O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Never do we know enough to say that. Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. John Wright #5 But when children die, they take away the future as well. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. I mentioned the healing flood of letters. These sermons were delivered from the pulpit at Riverside Church, N.Y.C. I'm always puzzled at these Moslem women who wail like Banshees when their terrorist sons are killed as what they believe to be martyrs. ABERNETHY: I spoke with Coffin about growing old. This invaluable anthology is the first and only collection dedi When a person dies, there are many things that can be said, and there is at least one thing that should never be said. What do you think it is? . This reflects what that discomfort is and so nice to read it was written by a Reverend. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. For. "I'll say you don't, lady!" What do you say to those people? I swear to you, I wouldnt be standing here were I not upheld. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. T he Rev. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. 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.". This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1980-1981. "Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.". The 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. I walked a mile with Sorrow Shoulder-high we bring you home, Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.". 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. 20. Coffin questioned authority throughout his career, using civil . I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Why are they unhappy if they think he is in paradise with 72 virgins or are they just feeling sorry for themselves? Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. When sorrow walked with me. The Rev William Sloane Coffin A radical preacher and antiwar activist, he took on the American establishment Christopher Reed Thu 13 Apr 2006 19.04 EDT The upbringing of William Sloane. But the things I learned from her Q: Let me ask you to look back a little bit at some of the great movements you were part of. This is the fifth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. How are you able to look at the world as it is and still have the capacity for feeling joyful? William Sloane Coffin Jr. was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. As almost all of you know, a week ago last Monday night, driving in a terrible storm, my son Alexander who to his friends was a real day-brightener, and to his family "fair as a star when only one is shining in the sky" my twenty-four-year-old Alexander, who enjoyed beating his old man at every game and in every race, beat his father to the grave. William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. It is self-interest. ABERNETHY: As he conducts what he calls his lover's quarrel with his country, Coffin acknowledges that he has to be careful not to become self-righteous himself -- perhaps especially when he is honored, as he is often. RN: What do you think should be done strategically and tactically by the peace movement? 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.. We have to be forced down. Thats why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, Your brokenhearted sister. In other words, in my intense grief I felt some of my fellow reverends not many, and none of you, thank God were using comforting words of Scripture for self-protection, to pretty up a situation whose bleakness they simply couldnt face. Q: Many, many religious conservatives read the same Scripture that you do and come out very differently on social issues. But assuming they did, if they hadn't (it was supposed to be god's plan all along) there would be no Christian religion and no savior who died to save everyone else. This is the eighth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. While he was a student, my father heard the feisty William Coffin preach as a young chaplain at Yale. The Blessing of Grace by The Rev. God does not spill milk. By a departing light I was first introduced to this sermon years ago in a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularity ever since. 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. You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. Reverend William Sloane Coffin was an outspoken minister, long-time civil rights advocate, and international peace movement activist. But I do not approve. After the death of his wife, C.S. And set you at your threshold down, Last year Union Theological Seminary in New York gave him its highest medal. 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. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Runners whom renown outran We have to be forced down. Well, so I wanted them to know, they had a pastor. ABERNETHY: In our conversation, Coffin quoted words he liked, words he attributed to Irenaeus, an early church father: "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." As his younger brother put it simply, standing at the head of the casket at the Boston funeral, You blew it, buddy. Rememberallproceeds will go directly to support the WSC scholarships at Union Theological Seminary in N.Y.C. Please address any specific reforms that demand priority. I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the cold ground. Above all, he condemns what he sees as the country's self-righteousness. 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.. Refusing to cede the battlefield of morality to conservatives, he argues that "compassion demands . And I played all the hymns. The still-defended challenge-cup. Bill Coffin's legacy is ministry . But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. Still there is much by way of consolation. These sermons were delivered from the pulpit at Riverside Church, N.Y.C. Well, that really is selfish and here I thought some believers like Christians are supposed to be charitable. 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