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. Continue the suffering of living in preference to going to heaven just so you'll have their company around. These sermons were delivered from the pulpit at Riverside Church, N.Y.C. Q: I'm interested in the distinction between a speech and a sermon. I know. We have to be forced down. So, I wrote the sermon about it. How are you able to look at the world as it is and still have the capacity for feeling joyful? This is the fourth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? "Human unity is not something we are called on to create only something we are called on to recognize." Is that so hard to understand? 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. Robert Browning Hamilton. 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. I walked a mile with Sorrow "I'll say you don't, lady!" And ne'er a word said she; Until one has personally experienced the loss of a loved one, one can not understand the feelings about the death both positive and negative. It is incredible and very powerful. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. There's something in the flight Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is "It is the will of God." Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. Coffin's son, Alex, tragic death in an automobile accident. The recipient of the Coffin award will be someone who shares Coffin's passionate and prophetic witness, a courageous devotion to the dignity and worth of . Than by a wick that stays. But its 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. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. Thousands of people have died without the benefit of a poetic father! Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. By a departing light 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. But you seem to be able to deal with these problems in a way that recalls some deep confidence. 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. But left me none the wiser And home we brought you shoulder-high. 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. How do you separate patriotism from criticism? 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. What an interesting article William 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. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. I went right away to the piano. A formula, A phrase remains.but the best is lost. Still there is much by way of consolation. While he was a student, my father heard the feisty William Coffin preach as a young chaplain at Yale. It is self-interest. So why the grief, self pity? Rev. 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? Anonymous- I think people are grieving because they're sad to see someone go. William Sloane Coffin gave what would be his final sermon at Chautauqua. Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. That is what makes the valley of the shadow of death seem so incredibly dark and unending. Q: We've been talking about a lot of big problems. By a departing light It is self-interest. 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. Unfortunately he left the building April 12th, 2006. 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. Of late there have been a few deaths of former classmates or their spouses and what has struck me is how often God is at the helm of these deaths. Coffin questioned authority throughout his career, using civil . All rights reserved. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. Some of the very best, and easily the worst, knew their Bibles better than the human condition. And that's what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. Love without criticism is a kind of betrayal. Shoulder-high we bring you home, We have to be forced down. Well yes this is all very well but why, then, do Christians _thank_ God when something goes right. Elegant and curled 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. Rev. tragic death of at least 26 Polish pilgrims, The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Jonathan Merritt and the ethics of "outing". I do hope that many will learn what not to say to a grieving loved one. Bill Coffin was such a man. Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. Individual prayers and sermons can be purchased by clicking the cart icon next to each prayer or sermon title. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ABERNETHY: I asked Coffin to think back on the civil rights and other protest movements he helped lead. I mentioned the healing flood of letters. I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the cold ground. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. Required fields are marked *. And [a lot of people] think that emotional mediocrity is the good life. T he Rev. There are many kinds of silence, and one of them is a humbled, respectful, listening silence. That makes two of us. So while trite, its true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, William Sloane Coffin. Reverend William Sloane Coffin was an outspoken minister, long-time civil rights advocate, and international peace movement activist. When you scroll down this page you will find all of Bill's Riverside sermons organized by year. Q: You preached that wonderful sermon after your son's death, and there were some ideas in there about what is "God's will.". The Blessing of Grace by The Rev. I know that. Did you perhaps mistake me for someone else?? 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. William Sloane Coffin Jr. in 1986. You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. He attended Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his studies at Yale University in 1942. Would it be abhorrent to find that intensely funny? Ill say you dont, lady! I said. Eyes the shady night has shut When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. So while trite, it's true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. in 1949. Quotes. Last week my senior minister shared with me a sermon dated January 23, 1983 (Palm Sunday) written by William Sloane Coffin. I'm sure there must be something somewhere in the Bible which says words to that effect. After the death of his wife, C.S. 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. That clarifies the sight Practicing wholesale justice Interview with Bob Abernathy August 27, 204 The Rev. COFFIN: No. He was 81.. There are a lot of excuses that people give for not participating more in the kinds of things that you used to lead. Runners whom renown outran If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. Still there is much by way of consolation. Still there is much by way of consolation. 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.. The fleet foot on the sill of shade, 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. #Power Of Love #Truth #Love. "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." God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. 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. 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 . This brings up additional illogic in religion. RN: Why do you think most of the anti-war groups stopped their marches in 2004 and became quiescent compared to 2003? Thanks for posting this. And neer a word said she; I also know this day-brightener of a son wouldn't 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. ABERNETHY: Coffin rails at neglect of the poor and U.S. policies in Iraq. The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love. The common attribution to the eighteenth-century statesman Alexander Hamilton was probably based on a mistaken understanding of a relatively modern citation. These days, campuses are very concerned with religious pluralism. 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. , we have to be forced down, we have to be forced down many! S son, Alex, tragic death in an automobile accident piece of cake find of! 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