On Saturday afternoon at 1:30, the Rev. Then he moves on to the next town. . 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? Click the cart icon next to a prayer in the player below to add a prayer to your cart. They said it was god's will, that she is in heaven now and they moved on without the tearjerking remorse many who call them true believers in a faith feel. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. By a departing light 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. 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. 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. But left me none the wiser There are a lot of excuses that people give for not participating more in the kinds of things that you used to lead. Continue the suffering of living in preference to going to heaven just so you'll have their company around. This is amazing. But oh, the things I learned from her William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. They accepted that it was god's will. Coffin's son, Alex, tragic death in an automobile accident. 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. Coffin about his experiences as a Freedom Rider from NPR; Read a transcript of an interview with Rev. Some will even argue that God has a purpose in allowing the accident and will use this tragedy to provoke moral growth in the world (though one hopes that this explanation will not be offered in the hearing of any grieving family members). 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. Justice is at the heart of religious faith. Why would someone grieve for a loved one who is in heaven or in paradise. 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. Additionally, a 301 Moved Permanently error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. 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. 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. There are small accidents, like knocking over your milk at the dinner table. I was first introduced to this sermon years agoin a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularityever since. Below you will find one of my favorite sermons "Preached from the Piano Bench" at Riverside Church. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. The cause of violence is not ignorance. I feel scorched by how much he insists on truthfulness in grief. The civil rights movement: What do you remember with the greatest pleasure or what was the greatest lesson of it? 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 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.. I'm not a believer but at least I appreciate when people demonstrate that they actually believe in what they say they do. Alex, as he was called, was killed in a car accident in 1983 when he was only. There's something deep in there that involves joy and hope. 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. Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? Very on the point I think. I mentioned the healing flood of letters. Robert Browning Hamilton Or, in Emily Dickinsons verse: By a departing light We see acuter quite Than by a wick that stays. Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. 00:00 $ 75.00 Sermons from Riverside Church 1982 Well compared to heaven isn't all of life suffering? 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). William Sloane Coffin. We see acuter quite 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 lucky I am! William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. 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. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, Rev. Above all, he condemns what he sees as the country's self-righteousness. Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible. But when children die, they take away the future as well. Until one has personally experienced the loss of a loved one, one can not understand the feelings about the death both positive and negative. I do hope that many will learn what not to say to a grieving loved one. For the latest updates across BBC blogs, visit the Blogs homepage. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. Transcript - 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 moving eulogy turned sermon, filled with deep truth and deep pain about the realities of death and the true (not trite) hope we have in God. Of lads that wore their honours out, I mentioned the healing flood of letters. Have a think about the bigger picture!! Please address any specific reforms that demand priority. 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. Rev. But when children die, they take away the future as well. 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. If the order gets mixed up, thats misery. Man and boy stood cheering by, It remains a heartfelt classic in homiletics. And round that early-laurelled head 25 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. In your prayer life do you tend to direct your prayer life to Jesus or God? 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. This brings up additional illogic in religion. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. But was he a criminal? 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. 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. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. Instantly I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. 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. Still there is much by way of consolation. What is the religious challenge at our universities? Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave. very good question Anne. But you seem to be able to deal with these problems in a way that recalls some deep confidence. A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew, Itsjust one of those things I think is worth a read by all. Q: As you look back on everything you've done in your wonderful life, what are you most proud of? 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. 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. RN: What broader advice do you have for strengthening our democracy and confronting the concentration of power and wealth over the life sustaining directions our country (with its impact on the world) needs to take? After the death of his wife, C.S. We have to be forced down. But I'm an atheist. Rememberallproceeds will go directly to support the WSC scholarships at Union Theological Seminary in N.Y.C. After the death of his wife, C.S. Didn't the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?". William Sloane Coffin. 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. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. I think it will serve as a reminder of many stupid things we all have said to people who are grieving the main one probably being And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. 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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? Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. Thursday, February 15, 2007. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. 18 Sourced Quotes. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. When a person dies, there are many things that can be said, and there is at least one thing that should never be said. The scripture reading for each sermon can be found below in PDF format. But the point is this. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1980-1981. I have a little sentence or two, about the Chinese Emperor who sent his wise man off for a month, to figure out, what is happiness? How does a true Christian operate in a pluralistic world? So set, before its echoes fade, Protestant preacher William Sloane Coffin after the death of his college-age son in an accident confesses to blowing up at a neighbor. No one meant it to happen. Never do we know enough to say that. 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. But it's a fact: few of us are naturally profound. 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. William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. 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. Townsman of a stiller town. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1982-1983. The garland briefer than a girls. The common attribution to the eighteenth-century statesman Alexander Hamilton was probably based on a mistaken understanding of a relatively modern citation. I read someone say recently that this is only a training ground for eternity. William Sloane Coffin was a man with a wild career: he fought in World War II, worked for the CIA after the war, became a "man of the cloth", was thrown in jail as a civil rights marcher with Dr. Martin Luther King, and was an academic, author, and an activist. "I'll say you don't, lady!" The Theology of William Sloane Coffin Thursday, February 15, 2007 Moral lassitude Interview with Religion & Ethics Newsweekly August 27, 2004 Q: You have, in the course of your life, participated in a good many great causes and have done so with a lot of passion. The woman most in need of liberation is the woman in every man and the man in every woman. what do you say? Embed. And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. At Riverside, the profession of faith is "Jesus is Lord." I walked a mile with Sorrow He attended Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his studies at Yale University in 1942. Either it is god's will or there is no god! I know that. William Sloane Coffin, a former Yale University chaplain known for his anti-war and peace activism, dies at the age of 81. I said. RN: How is Vermont a model in this respect? And home we brought you shoulder-high. This reflects what that discomfort is and so nice to read it was written by a Reverend. The prayers are presented in several multi-year collections. Coffin to his congregation at the Riverside Church in New York City. Every sermon constitutes a powerful reminder of his legacy-challenging the conscience of a nation. 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