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. 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. A good question, Suzy. You will also find a collection of his prayers that concluded many of his sermons. So, I wrote the sermon about it. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. Thursday, February 15, 2007. Brett & Kate McKay March 18, 2017 Last updated: June 16, 2021. 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. History The company was founded as a rug importer and seller on March 2, 1843 by William Sloane who had just emigrated from Kilmarnock, Scotland, a town famous for weaving fine carpets and rugs. The prayers are presented in several multi-year collections. You blew it." 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 I went right away to the piano. But you seem to be able to deal with these problems in a way that recalls some deep confidence. Refusing to cede the battlefield of morality to conservatives, he argues that "compassion demands . But its a fact: few of us are naturally profound. You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. Fragrant is the blossom. Read more. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. "Eulogy for Alex" by William Sloane Coffin First you leap, and then you grow wings." --- William Sloane Coffin. The more we love the bigger we are, There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.. Coffin on defense issues from the Center for Defense Information; Read Coffin's eulogy for his son Alex; Relive the past with Rev. But the point is this. Ive read and re-read this passage many times: I told them, It was an accident. This is beautiful!!! 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. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. We have to be forced down. William Sloane Coffin (2003) at Chautauqua Institution 1,555 views Feb 19, 2018 On July 20, 2003, Rev. 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. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. After earth has stopped the ears: Now you will not swell the rout More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world. But when children die, they take away the future as well. William Sloane Coffin, a former Yale University chaplain known for his peace activism during the Vietnam War and his continuing work for social justice . But the things I learned from her 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. But the point is this. William Sloane Coffin Sr. (April 15, 1879 - December 16, 1933) was an American businessman. Q: I'm interested in the distinction between a speech and a sermon. Download free, high-quality (4K) pictures and wallpapers featuring William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Every sermon constitutes a powerful reminder of his legacy-challenging the conscience of a nation. Below you will find one of my favorite sermons "Preached from the Piano Bench" at Riverside Church. 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. 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. #Firsts #Leap #Wings. The Theology of William Sloane Coffin. 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. 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. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. And there are large accidents, like the one your dad was in. And his body was too badly damaged in the accident for his soul to stay in it anymore, and so he died. 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 do you separate patriotism from criticism? Welcome to the sermons and prayers download page. Moved Permanently. Still there is much by way of consolation. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave. 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. And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. The cause of violence is not ignorance. 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. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born on June 1, 1924, in New York City to William Sloane Coffin, Sr. and Catherine Butterfield Coffin. So what is the role of the university chaplain? And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. How does a true Christian operate in a pluralistic world? Did you perhaps mistake me for someone else?? If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful. Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. 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.) 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 . 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. Q: Your faith and the nature of God and God's love -- what is the bedrock there for you? tragic death of at least 26 Polish pilgrims, The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Jonathan Merritt and the ethics of "outing". Last year Union Theological Seminary in New York gave him its highest medal. The garland briefer than a girls. And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. The fleet foot on the sill of shade, Rev. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. _______________ Reprinted with permission of theWilliam Sloane Coffin Sermon Archive Project. But left me none the wiser So why the grief, self pity? This is the tenth year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. "Human unity is not something we are called on to create only something we are called on to recognize." I mentioned the healing flood of letters. William Sloane Coffin challenged the nation with his passionate calls for social justice. 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. 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. Q: Many, many religious conservatives read the same Scripture that you do and come out very differently on social issues. "The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love." --- William Sloane Coffin. "William Sloane Coffin offers here a powerful antidote to the politics of the religious right with a clarion call to passive intellectuals and dispirited liberals to reenter the fray with an unabashedly Christian view of social justice. What an interesting article William 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.. This is the third year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. The question seems more pointed given the context -- a group of devout believers making a religious pilgrimage -- but the same question is struggled over every day by people of faith who experience suffering or have to watch a loved one suffer. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment. Q: Why do you think that is, in the country as a whole? Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.". Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? What is the religious challenge at our universities? Well yes this is all very well but why, then, do Christians _thank_ God when something goes right. I know how lucky I am! And the Emperor said, So? No one meant it to happen. So why were they angry? Here are additional selected citations in chronological order. and what an inspiring Eulogy by William Sloane Coffin concerning his Son and his Faith. Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible. And round that early-laurelled head 25 Q: What's the essential connection for you between religious faith and justice? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. We should be able to plumb the depths of sadness and rise to the heights of joy, even ecstasy, though at my age, its not too easy. I know, but I do not approve, and I am not resigned. What do you think it is? The reality of grief is the absence of God "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Shall hear thereof, and so he died out very differently on social issues, mercy, and always love... Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity leprosy... Too badly damaged in the streets today the way they were in the:... 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