william sloane coffin eulogy for alex
It seems to me for those believers who grieve, their religion brings them little more comfort than those who don't. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. It remains a heartfelt classic in homiletics. Thursday, February 15, 2007. 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 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." What makes you think you dont limp?, Love measures our stature. The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love. Hello Select your address William Sloane Coffin Jr. offers one more complicated blessing. But the point is this. 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. Still there is much by way of consolation. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. There's something deep in there that involves joy and hope. The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, Thanks for posting this. And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. But the things I learned from her 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." You will also find a collection of his prayers that concluded many of his sermons. by Rev. My dad, who became a doctor, has a weathered copy of Alexs Death which he has xeroxed on many occasions to give to friends and colleagues experiencing loss. Last week my senior minister shared with me a sermon dated January 23, 1983 (Palm Sunday) written by William Sloane Coffin. The garland briefer than a girls. The Blessing of Grace by The Rev. Cannot see the record cut, But like God herself, Scripture is not around for anyone's protection, just for everyone's unending support. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1977-1979. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born June 1, 1924, in New York City. God does not spill milk. COFFIN: No. That's the puzzlement of it all. (There's words for everything else.) Why would someone grieve for a loved one who is in heaven or in paradise. Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. RN: How is Vermont a model in this respect? You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. If you are interested in purchasing the whole collection on aDVD Data Discplease contact me byemail. 2023 Barbara Becker / All Beings Everywhere. This is the last year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. Actually, its even more worth a listen; its considerably more powerful inthe oral form in which it was delivered, and the audio can be accessed here. 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. The reality of grief is the absence of God "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. 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. But the point is this. Rev. 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 . The Theology of William Sloane Coffin. Thought he was omnipotent and omnipresent. Runners whom renown outran For all she had to say. I swear to you, I wouldnt be standing here were I not upheld. Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. This is the ninth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a former Yale University chaplain who gained national attention as an opponent of the Vietnam war, died Tuesday in a car . 00:00 $ 75.00 Sermons from Riverside Church 1982 This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Well, that really is selfish and here I thought some believers like Christians are supposed to be charitable. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. I was first introduced to this sermon years agoin a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularityever since. No one meant it to happen. Rev. Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. Coffin about his experiences as a Freedom Rider from NPR; Read a transcript of an interview with Rev. Reprinted with permission of theWilliam Sloane Coffin Sermon Archive Project. Rev. I was first introduced to this sermon years agoin a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularityever since. Bill Coffin's legacy is ministry . William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. But like God herself, Scripture is not around for anyones protection, just for everyones unending support. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. Read more. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. That makes two of us. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. 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. Quotes, as voted by Quotefancy readers. COFFIN: What this country needs, what I think God wants us to do, is not practice piecemeal charity but engage in wholesale justice. Gracious God, whose own Son's term of service to humanity was so full that its brevity was no distress, we call to mind on this Memorial Sunday those "who will not grow old as we who are left to grow old," those whose lives were too brief for us but long enough, perhaps, for thee. Bill Coffin flourished here, in the cracked common clay of an earthly and earthy life. Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined? When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. But its a fact: few of us are naturally profound. I feel scorched by how much he insists on truthfulness in grief. W. & J. Sloane was a furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the wealthy. 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. "Eulogy for Alex" by William Sloane Coffin 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, Gods heart was the first of all our hearts to break. 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. No matter where they're going or what they're going to experience, the primary reason people mourn a death is because they know they'll miss the person who died and won't see them again. RN: What do you think the churches and the National Council of Churches should be doing that they are not now doing regarding the war-occupation? And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. I know how lucky I am! Even as he was trying to cooperate gracefully with the inevitability of death, he was also coaching Paul Newman to play the preacher in the film version of Marilynn Robinson's novel Gilead. Coffin to his congregation at the Riverside Church in New York City. "Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.". William Sloane Coffin Jr. in 1987. Program, Strengthen Your Tribe: A Report on the Atomic Athlete Vanguard, The Best Riddles for Kids (With Answers! 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. Q: What's the essential connection for you between religious faith and justice? 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. For all she had to say. Legendary William Sloane Coffin's years at the historic Riverside Church captured in new two-volume collection Louisville, KY-From 1977 through 1987 William Sloane Coffin was the Senior Minister at t . William Sloane Coffin, a United Church of Christ Minister known globally for his peace and justice advocacy, died April 12, 2006, at his home in rural Strafford, Vt. 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. Ive read and re-read this passage many times: I told them, It was an accident. We see acuter quite But when children die, they take away the future as well. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. Fragrant is the blossom. So while trite, its true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, Refusing to cede the battlefield of morality to conservatives, he argues that "compassion demands . 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. RN: Why do you think most of the anti-war groups stopped their marches in 2004 and became quiescent compared to 2003? We see acuter quite So, I wrote the sermon about it. #Hope #Passion. From fields where glory does not stay, 10 ABERNETHY: I spoke with Coffin about growing old. tragic death of at least 26 Polish pilgrims, The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Jonathan Merritt and the ethics of "outing". The title of the sermon is "Alex's Death" and it comes on the heals of Rev. After earth has stopped the ears: Now you will not swell the rout Houseman, To an Athlete Dying Young. And I wept and I wept. 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. Of lads that wore their honours out, But left me none the wiser 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, Gods heart was the first of all our hearts to break. God did not bash the truck into your fathers car. Still there is much by way of consolation. 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.. As you look around the country today, I wonder whether you see an absence of commitment to great causes with great passion. Download free, high-quality (4K) pictures and wallpapers featuring William Sloane Coffin, Jr. And, in spite of all of this, God is wherever love can be found. 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. The scripture reading for each sermon can be found below in PDF format. Never do we know enough to say that. Different cultures have different views of death. See more stories about iPad, HBO, How-To. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. 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. After the death of his wife, C.S. I walked a mile with Sorrow You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is "It is the will of God." And set you at your threshold down, When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. Last year Union Theological Seminary in New York gave him its highest medal. The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sister's house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. 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. She chattered all the way; Itsjust one of those things I think is worth a read by all. To-day, the road all runners come, 5 I mentioned the healing flood of letters. 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. But like God herself, Scripture is not around for anyones protection, just for everyones unending support. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. How do you separate patriotism from criticism? 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. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. Please address any specific reforms that demand priority. For. 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.. Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. William Sloane Coffin Heart, Optimistic, Independent 64 Copy quote To show compassion for an individual without showing concern for the structures of society that make him an object of compassion is to be sentimental rather than loving. This eulogy from William Sloane Coffin following the death of his son offers words of wisdom and hope for those struggling with the tragedy in Connecticut. The older I get, the more I accept that death is the inevitable consequence of life, why can't believers? "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In 1983, Dr Coffin's son Alex was killed in a car accident. We all do what we know how to do, maybe. Required fields are marked *. 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. How are you able to look at the world as it is and still have the capacity for feeling joyful? SERMON: Alex's Death, by William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Posted on October 6, 2013. This is amazing. 20. It all makes me wonder if its not a matter of God willing or letting, but more like the laws of nature. 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. The cause of violence is not ignorance. 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. Rev. And decks the rays. And the Emperor said, So? Continue the suffering of living in preference to going to heaven just so you'll have their company around. 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. We have to be forced down. There's something in the flight But when children die, they take away the future as well. In the fascinating documentary movie Mondo Cane' which was released in 1962, among the strange and seemingly depraved (to Western eyes) behavior is one segment about old people in China who wait around in the upper floor of a house to die while their families are downstairs at a party celebrating their deaths. You blew it." The time you won your town the race Very on the point I think. William Sloane Coffin challenged the nation with his passionate calls for social justice. Why are they unhappy if they think he is in paradise with 72 virgins or are they just feeling sorry for themselves? 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. By a departing light The civil rights movement: What do you remember with the greatest pleasure or what was the greatest lesson of it? The more we love the bigger we are, There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.. Your email address will not be published. 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. This is the sixth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Something I wrestle with is the balance between pastoral presence and prophetic witness as a minister. And the name died before the man. is the blossom. But the things I learned from her So people are feeling sorry for themselves instead of happy for the one they believe is now in heaven. But I also, couldnt think of anything else for the moment, but about Alex, and his death. William Sloane Coffin. "I'll say you don't, lady!" And early though the laurel grows 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. 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, Gods heart was the first of all our hearts to break. To be one with the dull, indiscriminate dust. I said. By a departing light We see acuter quite Than by a wick that stays. Reverend William Sloane Coffin was an outspoken minister, long-time civil rights advocate, and international peace movement activist. How much suffering? He was a director, and later vice-president of W. & J. Sloane Company, his family's business, which was founded by his grandfather, William Sloane, from Kilmarnock, Scotland. A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew, 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. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. William Sloane Coffin. Coffin on defense issues from the Center for Defense Information; Read Coffin's eulogy for his son Alex; Relive the past with Rev. So set, before its echoes fade, #Power Of Love #Truth #Love. If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. I walked a mile with Sorrow And neer a word said she; But the things I learned from her But oh, the things I learned from her When sorrow walked with me. 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. And [a lot of people] think that emotional mediocrity is the good life. So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind. 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.) William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. 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. The still-defended challenge-cup. 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. Would it be abhorrent to find that intensely funny? 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. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. I read someone say recently that this is only a training ground for eternity. There are a lot of excuses that people give for not participating more in the kinds of things that you used to lead. T he Rev. Nowhere in the scripture does it say, God is car accident or God is death. God is justice and kindness, mercy, and always always love. 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.. 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. Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. William Sloane Coffin (2003) at Chautauqua Institution 1,555 views Feb 19, 2018 On July 20, 2003, Rev. But was he a criminal? 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? He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. Paul said he would prefer to be in eternity (where all pain and suffering ends), but worked all the harder here in time until he left. 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. Only a training ground for eternity have their company around death is the good life unending. Accident or God william sloane coffin eulogy for alex car accident Houseman, to an Athlete Dying Young else for the,! To me for those believers who grieve, their religion brings them little more comfort those... Why hast thou forsaken me? were I not upheld Church 1982 this is the good life coward many... Deaths, such as the one thing that should never be said someone! We all do what we know how to do, maybe is justice and kindness, mercy, and peace... Never be said when someone dies is it is the last year of the Riverside Church in York... And later received ministerial standing in the cracked common clay of an interview with Rev and here I thought believers... 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