Listen to the first episode of the new Advent audio retreat, “When Things Fall Apart”.
To celebrate the season of Advent, St Augustine’s College of Theology is pleased to present a brand new audio retreat series. A four-part series, we will share a new episode on each of the four Sundays of Advent.
Written and produced by our very own Tutor in Christian Spirituality, Chris Chapman, this special series begins with a bold and unflinching look at the birthplace of hope; sin, absence and the earth before creation.
“In the face of absence, He is presence”
While advent is the season of hope, joy and birth, one cannot experience hope without acknowledging the dark shadows in which it shines brightest.
In this episode, Chris examines the nature of sin and how it relates to nothingness. He encourages us to recognise that so much of what is wrong in the world isn’t necessarily an abundance of evil, but an absence of things like compassion, justice and inclusion.
He guides us through an acknowledgement of the void, ushering us through to see the door through which God shines His light and invites us to step through. Advent is the celebration of the birth of God’s son; a presence in the face of absence.
And from there, hope begins.
How to listen to this audio retreat episode
To listen to this episode of the Easter People audio retreat, follow this link to the YouTube version of the episode or listen directly using the YouTube player below.
There is no right or wrong way to listen to this audio retreat. You can listen to it as many times as you like, by yourself or with others.
If you’d like to read along with this audio retreat, you can download the transcript for this episode. You can also use the subtitles/closed captions on the YouTube video.
Resources for prayer and reflection
To accompany you on your audio journey, you can download helpful written resources, designed to help you along in your reflection and prayer.
Although it’s not necessary for you to use the downloadable resources to enjoy this audio retreat, it can add a greater dimension to your reflection and prayer.
New episodes launching throughout December
This is the first episode in a four-part series on the theme of ‘The Door to Hope’. Each Sunday of this Advent season, we’ll be releasing a new episode of this audio retreat, so look out for next week’s episode.
To ensure you receive the next episode straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter.
If you’d like to listen to more audio retreats, you can explore some of our previous series and take a prayerful audio journey with Chris Chapman and a number of special guests.
3 Comments
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Thank you for the Advent retreat – I have found both of the first two episodes excellent and appreciate the resource for downloading.
I have listened to all of the St Augustine retreats since lockdown and I am so pleased that our parish (South London Anglican) shared this resource. It is excellent outreach and much valued I suspect, both by St Augustine students and the wider community.
Just one small observation – there is a transcript for Episode 2, but I can’t see a transcript for Episode 1? I think its helpful to have both a listening and reading option. Thank you again.
Hi there Simon,
Thank you for your kind comment, we’re so pleased to hear the retreat resonated with you and was shared with your parish community. Thank you for flagging this omission; we’ll get this sorted and include a transcript on the Episode 1 page, hopefully this week. You’re absolutely right; it’s helpful to have both a listening and reading option.
With blessings,
The St Augustine’s admin team
Hi Simon,
Thank you again for flagging this to us. The transcript has now been uploaded and the link to it is now included in the text of this blog post. You can access the transcript directly via this link also.
Blessings,
The St Augustine’s admin team