O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I know. The woman most in need of liberation is the woman in every man and the man in every woman. It is difficult to know how to theologise about a tragedy of this order without descending into cliche, trivialisation or offensiveness. William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. c a m p u s l i f e ; m e s s a g e He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. 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. In this best-seller, Coffin gives a powerful record of his remarkable public life, offering his. The title of the sermon is "Alex's Death" and it comes on the heals of Rev. But oh, the things I learned from her I said. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. And his body was too badly damaged in the accident for his soul to stay in it anymore, and so he died. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The more we love the bigger we are, There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Still there is much by way of consolation. I swear to you, I wouldnt be standing here were I not upheld. You will also find a collection of his prayers that concluded many of his sermons. William Sloane Coffin, who died Wednesday at the age of 81 of congestive heart failure, was known as a civil rights activist and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. 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. God does not spill milk. 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. 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. 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. But it's a fact: few of us are naturally profound. Runners whom renown outran William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. What is happiness? And the wise man said, Happiness is when the grandfather dies, and then the father, and then the son. That is on the money. 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. Houseman, To an Athlete Dying Young. And I wept and I wept. But when children die, they take away the future as well. 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 violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. 20. Reprinted with permission of theWilliam Sloane Coffin Sermon Archive Project. by Rev. Coffin questioned authority throughout his career, using civil . When sorrow walked with me. 2023 Barbara Becker / All Beings Everywhere. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 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. is the blossom. Wind your head in John!! 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. 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. This is the first year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Q: After September 11 there was a surge of patriotism. I know that. 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. Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup is the autobiography of the chaplain for the Maine game warden who herself was widowed with four young children when her husband a state trooper was killed in a car accident. 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. Theres such wisdom in these words that Ive found it bears re-reading from time to time. This well-intentioned person had brought in a dinner for Coffin and his family and said, "I just don't understand the will of God." He said: "I'll say you don't, friend. Ten days after Alex's death, he delivered this extraordinary sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1977-1979. And there are large accidents, like the one your dad was in. RN: What do you think should be done strategically and tactically by the peace movement? We have to be forced down. But the point is this. Alex. I'm always puzzled at these Moslem women who wail like Banshees when their terrorist sons are killed as what they believe to be martyrs. 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. The common attribution to the eighteenth-century statesman Alexander Hamilton was probably based on a mistaken understanding of a relatively modern citation. Bill Coffin flourished here, in the cracked common clay of an earthly and earthy life. Ralph Nader: With the majority of Americans in poll after poll turning against the U.S. war and occupation in Iraq and with many retired Generals, diplomats and intelligence officials opposed to the invasion in the first instance why is the organized opposition not greater? 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. Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. Q: Many, many religious conservatives read the same Scripture that you do and come out very differently on social issues. Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave. Love without criticism is a kind of betrayal. Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. But its a fact: few of us are naturally profound. Click the cart icon next to a sermon in the player below to add a sermon to your cart. More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. This brings up additional illogic in religion. When its true and painful, say it softly, None of us have the right to avert our gaze. Individual prayers and sermons can be purchased by clicking the cart icon next to each prayer or sermon title. 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. And then, Im a preacher. This is the third year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. 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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. Anonymous- I think people are grieving because they're sad to see someone go. But like God herself, Scripture is not around for anyones protection, just for everyones unending support. As his younger brother put it simply, standing at the head of the casket at the Boston funeral, You blew it, buddy. 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 world's army of the bereaved. The use of Gods will or God has chosen to take whatever the phrase has always made me uncomfortable. It is truly a labor of love (a lot of labor; a lot of love) to digitally "Save Bill's Voice." Delivered from the Riverside Church pulpit over his ten years as senior minister, there were over 300 sermons in need of archiving to a digital format. Sloan from Doonesbury; New Documentary: WWilliam Sloane Coffin: A Lover's . 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.. Until one has personally experienced the loss of a loved one, one can not understand the feelings about the death both positive and negative. After the tsunami, some Moslem clerics said it was god's punishment for their sins. To be one with the dull, indiscriminate dust. And home we brought you shoulder-high. 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