Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? Robert Browning Hamilton Or, in Emily Dickinsons verse: By a departing light We see acuter quite Than by a wick that stays. William Sloane Coffin Jr., chaplain of Yale University, were indicted today on charges of conspiring to counsel young men to violate the draft laws. Still there is much by way of consolation. Either it is god's will or there is no god! In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA agent, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of Reinhold Niebuhr's . 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. 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. Rememberallproceeds will go directly to support the WSC scholarships at Union Theological Seminary in N.Y.C. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1977-1979. That makes two of us. This is the eighth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Thought he was omnipotent and omnipresent. Why aren't people in the streets today the way they were in the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement? 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. And that's what happens to the horror of all those townsfolk. I feel scorched by how much he insists on truthfulness in grief. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of 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. 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. That's 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." Gracious God, whose own Son's term of service to humanity was so full that its brevity was no distress, we call to mind on this Memorial Sunday those "who will not grow old as we who are left to grow old," those whose lives were too brief for us but long enough, perhaps, for thee. Shoulder-high we bring you home, Do you think about that? Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. Justice is at the heart of religious faith. Will was tyring to elicit thoughts about the whole concept of a god's will. Theres something in the flight That clarifies the sight And decks the rays. On Saturday afternoon at 1:30, the Rev. #Firsts #Leap #Wings. 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. 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? Well compared to heaven isn't all of life suffering? What do you say to those people? #Hope #Passion. 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. 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. The Coffin award is given in honor of the life and ministry of William Sloane Coffin, former Chaplain to the University and one of the 20th century's most significant religious leaders. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. I know how lucky I am! William Sloane Coffin Jr. 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.. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born to considerable wealth and social position on June 1, 1924, in New York City. 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. Of course its a crutch. I'm sure there must be something somewhere in the Bible which says words to that effect. But when children die, they take away the future as well. Coffin delivered his sermon "Eulogy for Alex" at Riversid e Church. 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. The more we love the bigger we are, There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.. And ne'er a word said she; The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is "It is the will of God." And the wise mans gone back. and Yale Divinity School. Rev. It is incredible and very powerful. 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. Click the cart icon next to a prayer in the player below to add a prayer to your cart. William Sloane Coffin Jr. in 1987. Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. You gave me what God gives all of us minimum protection, maximum support. 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 the things I learned from her Get All Beings Everywhere delivered to your inbox. While I could never presume to know the answer, I do take comfort in this passage from the author Kate Braestrup, which I wrote in my final post on this blog (below). 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. I read someone say recently that this is only a training ground for eternity. ashington, Jan. 5--Five men, including Dr. Benjamin Spock, the author and pediatrician, and the Rev. 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. Can you explain what that means for you? But when children die, they take away the future as well. Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave. 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. 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. God did not bash the truck into your fathers car. So if you want to know where God is in this or in anything, look for love., Your email address will not be published. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. A Prayer by William Sloan Coffin Jr., 1983. SERMON: Alex's Death, by William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Posted on October 6, 2013. Smart lad, to slip betimes away To be one with the dull, indiscriminate dust. The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love. But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a former Yale University chaplain who gained national attention as an opponent of the Vietnam war, died Tuesday in a car . 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. 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. I swear to you, I wouldn't be standing here were I not upheld. Rev. Why? When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. 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. 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. tragic death of at least 26 Polish pilgrims, The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, Jonathan Merritt and the ethics of "outing". 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. When its true and painful, say it softly, None of us have the right to avert our gaze. Rev. That clarifies the sight 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. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. "A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply . Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. 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. 2023 Barbara Becker / All Beings Everywhere. 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