Coffin about his experiences as a Freedom Rider from NPR; Read a transcript of an interview with Rev. But was he a criminal? 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. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. A different man named Alex Hamilton who was a British broadcaster used the saying in 1978. Individual prayers and sermons can be purchased by clicking the cart icon next to each prayer or sermon title. Tony Campolo retells an incident involving William Sloane Coffin following the death of his son, Alexander. Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? 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. 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 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. 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. 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. And [a lot of people] think that emotional mediocrity is the good life. View all William Sloane Coffin Quotes. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. #Firsts #Leap #Wings. The more we love the bigger we are, There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.. 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. Have a think about the bigger picture!! Theres such wisdom in these words that Ive found it bears re-reading from time to time. http://dlvr.it/Ng3r8d. The Theology of William Sloane Coffin. Program, Strengthen Your Tribe: A Report on the Atomic Athlete Vanguard, The Best Riddles for Kids (With Answers! William Sloane Coffin Jr. offers one more complicated blessing. Rememberallproceeds will go directly to support the WSC scholarships at Union Theological Seminary in N.Y.C. Wind your head in John!! Never do we know enough to say that. Q: You preached that wonderful sermon after your son's death, and there were some ideas in there about what is "God's will.". Your email address will not be published. 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. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. 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. 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. 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. And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. Continue the suffering of living in preference to going to heaven just so you'll have their company around. It is difficult to know how to theologise about a tragedy of this order without descending into cliche, trivialisation or offensiveness. And read the poems. 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. 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.. I walked a mile with Sorrow A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew, This is the second year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. This invaluable anthology is the first and only collection dedi Of lads that wore their honours out, But like God herself, Scripture is not around for anyones protection, just for everyones unending support. He attended Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his studies at Yale University in 1942. We have to be forced down. The Rev. Ive read and re-read this passage many times: I told them, It was an accident. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is "It is the will of God." William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. The reality of grief is the absence of God My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The reality of grief is the solitude of pain, the feeling that your heart is in pieces, your minds a blank, that there is no joy the world can give like that it takes away. (Lord Byron). RN: Any comparisons between the domestic opposition to the Iraq War/Occupation with the domestic opposition to the Vietnam War? 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. William Sloane Coffin. To be one with the dull, indiscriminate dust. 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 It remains a heartfelt classic in homiletics. John Wright #5 A formula, A phrase remains.but the best is lost. Seems a good deal for him - get all the praise when things go our way but none of the blame when things go wrong due to no fault of our own. Bill Coffin's legacy is ministry . William Sloane Coffin challenged the nation with his passionate calls for social justice. Embed. 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. 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. 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 . 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. Cars skid out of control on icy roads, healthy cells are consumed by cancerous ones. Practicing wholesale justice Interview with Bob Abernathy August 27, 204 The Rev. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. Kate Braestrups book is beautiful, and I highly recommend it to all who are seeking answers. Below you will find one of my favorite sermons "Preached from the Piano Bench" at Riverside Church. Anonymous- I think people are grieving because they're sad to see someone go. 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. So why were they angry? Do you think about that? 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. A good question, Suzy. in 1949. 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. Crowned with lilies and Laurel they go; but I am not resigned. These are some of the popular topics this blog covers. That clarifies the sight I mentioned the healing flood of letters. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. 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. by Rev. very good question Anne. Q: Many, many religious conservatives read the same Scripture that you do and come out very differently on social issues. 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. When you scroll down this page you will find all of Bill's Riverside sermons organized by year. Interview with Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. Last week my senior minister shared with me a sermon dated January 23, 1983 (Palm Sunday) written by William Sloane Coffin. W. & J. Sloane was a furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the wealthy. From fields where glory does not stay, 10 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. Yes, but at least, "My God, my God"; and the psalm only begins that way, it doesn't end that way. But its a fact: few of us are naturally profound. So he has a hand in making our lives better but not worse? Not because our diverse readership will agree with all of its theological underpinnings, but because I think it offers wise advice on what to say (and not say) when someone dies tragically, a poignant window on the human experience, and a lesson in the art of effective rhetoric(hence why we were discussing it in a communications class). One more complicated blessing the wealthy Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his at..., in New York City that catered to the wealthy preached these Sunday sermons the. 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