Listen to “The Wilderness of Grief”, the final episode of the 2024 Lent Audio Retreat Series.
Welcome to final episode of this special Lentern Audio Retreat series on the theme of wilderness.
This week marks the beginning of the season of Passion Tide, when we look ahead to Palm Sunday and Holy Week and begin to glimpse the end of the wilderness of Lent.
But before we step out of the wasteland, we face what may well be the hardest kind of wilderness we can ever encounter: grief.
Whether we know it’s coming or it catches us unawares – grief is a wilderness that changes everything
Grief is, in many ways, a wilderness – and it is this wilderness that Jesus’ followers are thrust into after his death. Only a few days ago, they were accompanying Christ into Jerusalem. Now, their worlds are turned upside down and robbed of rhyme and reason.
This audio retreat reflects on the experiences of three people during this time. It’s here that we join Mary Magdalene, sitting in the garden by the tomb on Sunday morning. All she wants in the world is to hear the voice of someone who’s gone forever; it’s a wish she never expects to be fulfilled.
Alongside Mary, this retreat also follows two travellers out of Jerusalem. They carry their broken hearts with them as they take the road to Emmaus, missing their beloved teacher and grieving his death. Eventually, they are joined by a stranger, who is somehow familiar to them…
As we follow their stories and listen along to Rev Harriet Johnson’s words, we examine the wilderness of grief – and remember that, through God, we can find our way through to the other side.
How to listen to this audio retreat episode
To listen to this episode of the Lent audio retreat, follow this link to the YouTube version of the episode or listen directly using the YouTube player below.
Alongside listening to the episode on YouTube, you download the audio in MP4 format and listen on your phone or computer.
If require additional accessibility resources to enjoy this audio retreat, you can download the transcript for this episode. You can also use the subtitles/closed captions on the YouTube video.
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.
Resources for prayer and reflection
To accompany you on your audio journey, you can download helpful visual and 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.
Want to hear more? Listen to previous week’s audio retreats
This is the final episode of this retreat. If you want to listen to earlier episodes or take this audio retreat from the beginning, follow the links below:
- Listen to Episode 1: “Encounters in the Wilderness”
- Listen to Episode 2: “Elijah and Hagar”
- Listen to Episode 3: “Esther and Jacob”
- Listen to Episode 4: “Wilderness in the Everyday”
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, Harriet Johnson and a number of special guests.
