The thoughts contained in A View From My Window are just a few things I have learned while trying to follow Jesus Christ. They are the result of a long journey that began in a little village in North Carolina some seventy years ago and continues through this day.
God has a way of taking the shape of the vessel in the person who receives God. I rejoice that God has found a place in my life, and I in the life of God. By and large, the sermons and meditations contained herein were first heard by congregations at Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC where I served as pastor for nearly forty years, St Albans Congregational Church in Queens, New York and the National Cathedral in the Nation’s Capital. They are my views about life and God, the nature and destiny of humankind, human relationships and Jesus Christ, the Lord of our faith. There are other views about all of these matters, I am sure. But these are my views seen through the lens which has been ground through the often hard experiences of my life. This is the shape God took as God entered this vessel. Although this God may not fit your vessel, your God is none the less real. For those in whose life God has not taken shape, form or residence, I hope these outpourings from my soul will be bread for your journey. Because I am still on the road that leads to faith, perhaps I will meet you there. For God has a way of making pilgrims into companions and friends. — A. Knighton Stanley
Acclaim for A View From My Window
For over 40 years, Dr. Stanley’s preaching has attempted to move a complex, sophisticated community beyond the ‘kindergarten’ Christianity of its childhood to a powerful, relevant gospel that reconciles their complex lives while affirming the simple truth that in spite of all of our shortcomings, we are all God’s beloved children. This volume illuminates a life and ministry obedient to a worthy call.
Ambassador Andrew Young,
Civil Rights leader/minister/humanitarian
Atlanta, Georgia
One Sunday morning, Dr. Stanley preached a sermon that so illuminated an aspect of my life’s journey I wrote one of my strongest musical compositions. On the Sunday after Coretta Scott King died, through his teaching and preaching, he showed us a woman with a deep moving spirit and commitment to justice. I was able to cry again as we closed the service singing the spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead.” I have continually found inspiration and hope in his words. May you also find water in your dry times from this well.
Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon,
singer/composer/cultural historian
Washington, DC
A View From My Window is a refreshing, unassuming collection of a preacher’s thoughts and reflections about God and who we are as God’s children. Tony Stanley has a unique gift of sharing experiences of life through the lens of God’s love, mercy and faithfulness to all people. While reading his sermons, one feels as if one is reading over his shoulder as he journals about his life, ministry and how God’s love overshadows every nuance of what we do. Stanley has a gift of making the most mundane occurrence appear in reflection as a great epiphany in him. This book is a must read for every preacher and especially seminarians.
The Reverend Dr. Susan D. Newman, Author,
Your Inner Eve:
Discovering God’s Woman Within
This volume of sermons by Dr. A. Knighton Stanley is inspiring and instructive for laity and preachers alike. His evocative weaving of solid theological scholarship, illustrations from daily life and his personal faith journey create a tapestry that compellingly presents the hope and joy of the good news. Taking a view from his window is to see the fullness of God’s majesty.
The Reverend Dr. Henry T. Simmons, Senior Minister
St. Albans Congregational Church
St. Albans, New York
A. Knighton Stanley’s earlier book, The Children Is Crying (1979), addresses the American Missionary Association and the Congregational Church’s blatant disregard for the rich and meaningful culture already existent among Afro Americans in the South following the Civil War and suggests that because of their failure to establish culturally relevant churches throughout the South, “The children, black and white are crying everyday.” It is entirely providential, therefore, that this sensitive pastor/scholar/preacher now shares with us thought provoking sermons that provide words of hope and encouragement so that we may cease our crying and more faithfully be the Body of Christ.
The Reverend Dr. Marvin L. Morgan
Moderator, General Synod 27
United Church of Christ
Dr. Stanley is passionate in his love for God and his service toward God’s people. I so appreciate his openness and candor about his struggles as he continues to know and live the ways of God. This collection of sermons offers a glimpse into the life and soul of a preacher on his journey toward the heart of God.
The Reverend Natalie V. McLean, Chaplain
Bennett College for Women
Greensboro, NC
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