William Sloane Coffin on Hope, Faith, Love, and Humility
This week’s Sunday reflection draws from William Sloane Coffin, a pastor and longtime senior minister of Riverside Church. The provided source page is the archive homepage and does not include a full sermon text; it only presents brief quotations and project context. The excerpts below are taken directly from the quotes shown on that page.
Key Passages
Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.
I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings.
It is often said that the Church is a crutch. Of course it’s a crutch. What makes you think you don’t limp?
Love measures our stature. The more we love the bigger we are…
…There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.
Overall Theme
These lines frame faith as a daring trust that widens the heart: hope fuels possibility, love enlarges the self, and community acknowledges our shared need. Coffin’s voice (even in short form here) pushes against self-absorption and toward courageous, communal living.
Practical Takeaways
- Let hope shape your next step by imagining what is possible instead of what is safe.
- Practice faith as action: choose one small leap today and see what grows from it.
- Make room for community support without shame; needing help is part of being human.
- Measure your day by love given and received, not by status or productivity.
- Watch for self-absorption and replace it with a concrete act of service.
Read the full sermon here: https://williamsloanecoffin.org/