william sloane coffin eulogy for alex

Coffin's son, Alex, tragic death in an automobile accident. 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. While the words of the Bible are true, grief renders them unreal. During WWII, Coffin joined the army and later served as a CIA agent after the outbreak of the Korean War. Alex, as he was called, was killed in a car accident in 1983 when he was only. 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. The older I get, the more I accept that death is the inevitable consequence of life, why can't believers? The reality of grief is the absence of God "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" As the . 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. We see acuter quite William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. 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. I was moved to tears, to be perfectly honest. Rev. Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. This is the third year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. One of the most powerful statements in this sermon was the following: The reality of grief is the solitude of pain, the feeling that your heart is in pieces, your mind's Details are given further below. The post A Eulogy for Alex appeared first on The Art of Manliness. 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. 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.. Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead, What is the religious challenge at our universities? Of lads that wore their honours out, Shoulder-high we bring you home, This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1982-1983. No one meant it to happen. Coffin questioned authority throughout his career, using civil . You will also find a collection of his prayers that concluded many of his sermons. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. Coffin about his experiences as a Freedom Rider from NPR; Read a transcript of an interview with Rev. So what is the role of the university chaplain? Click the cart icon next to a sermon in the player below to add a sermon to your cart. What should churches be doing in the face of whats going on in our country right now? No matter where they're going or what they're going to experience, the primary reason people mourn a death is because they know they'll miss the person who died and won't see them again. But when children die, they take away the future as well. William Sloane Coffin. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. 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. Click the cart icon next to a prayer in the player below to add a prayer to your cart. -- William Sloane Coffin. Do you think about that? Townsman of a stiller town. 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.. Yale University's chaplain, the Rev. 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). The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. 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. Among the healing flood of letters that followed his death was one carrying this wonderful quote from the end of Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms": "The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places.". (Lord Byron). A different man named Alex Hamilton who was a British broadcaster used the saying in 1978. 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? #Ignorance #Self #Violence. The Rev. And of course I know, even when pain is deep, that God is good. T he Rev. 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. Q: After September 11 there was a surge of patriotism. I feel scorched by how much he insists on truthfulness in grief. Just click the play button. God is dead set against all unnatural deaths. So why the grief, self pity? "Human unity is not something we are called on to create only something we are called on to recognize." But you seem to be able to deal with these problems in a way that recalls some deep confidence. The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love, He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. is the blossom. Of course its a crutch. Still there is much by way of consolation. I said. 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. When sorrow walked with me. After the death of Coffin's father in 1933, the family moved to Carmel, California, where William attended public school until the ninth grade, when he attended Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Houseman, To an Athlete Dying Young. And I wept and I wept. 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. Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. 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. The cause of violence is not ignorance. No. If the order gets mixed up, thats misery. The silence of God over the cross is our model here. In my email signature, I have this quote by him: The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.. 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. There's something in the flight Yes, but at least, "My God, my God"; and the psalm only begins that way, it doesn't end that way. We have to be forced down. Editors note: Ten days after his son, Alex, drove off a bridgeand was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered the following sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. At Riverside, the profession of faith is "Jesus is Lord." There are small accidents, like knocking over your milk at the dinner table. As for the theological issues, I agree with William on the need for respectful silence. This is the ninth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. __________________ 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. Itsjust one of those things I think is worth a read by all. by Rev. Man and boy stood cheering by, 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. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. He was 81. . 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). The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin By William Sloane Coffin Book Review An impressive collection of sermons by William Sloan Coffin delivered from 1977 to 1982. Letters to a Young Doubter By William Sloane Coffin Book Review Letters by the inimitable Christian progressive on faith, doubt, Jesus, and the insanities of a world awash . 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. 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. Required fields are marked *. 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. 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 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. 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