St Augustine's College Audio Retreats

Join Mark Parker, Academic Registrar and former student at St Augustine’s College of Theology, for the final episode in our Advent series. This week, Mark reflects on the prophets Zechariah and Isaiah. He explores what it means to rejoice in God’s coming, looking back to Jesus’ first Advent and forward to the hope of what is yet to come. You’ll hear how Jesus arrived humbly to bring salvation and...

Ever felt overlooked or exhausted and wondered if anyone sees what you’re carrying?  In this week’s Advent episode, tutor Jenny Corcoran reflects on the prophet Ezekiel in a way that’s challenging and comforting. She shows how God notices everything – our worries, our exhaustion, and the times we feel overlooked. Jenny shows that God doesn’t watch from a distance; he steps in and takes action...

Alan Gregory, Principal of St Augustine’s College of Theology, returns with the wisdom and warmth listeners love. This Advent, he draws on the prophet Isaiah to show how God surprises us in life-changing ways. In episode 2, ‘Isaiah’, you’ll hear how holiness meets human frailty, and why Isaiah’s ‘Woe is me’ still speaks today. You’ll also hear how God helps us face life with courage and love. Alan...

A warm welcome to our Advent 2025 series from St Augustine’s College of Theology. In this first rousing episode, Thomas Sharp, Tutor in Pastoral Theology, reflects on the Prophet Zephaniah and what it means to rejoice when the world feels like it’s still burning. Moving between ancient Jerusalem and our modern age, Thomas explores fear, injustice, hope, and the strange joy of God’s kingdom breakin...

Prophecy for Advent, the new Advent podcast from St Augustine’s College of Theology, launches Sunday 30 November 2025. This year, you’re invited to take a thoughtful journey through Advent – the season that leads us towards the celebration of Christmas. Each Sunday of Advent, join Revd Dr Alan Gregory and St Augustine’s theology tutors as they explore the voices of the prophets and connect them wi...

Will you dare to love as Christ loves? Welcome to Lent and Loving, the final episode of St Augustine’s College of Theology’s Lent 2025 podcast.  This week, our principal, Alan Gregory, invites you to reflect on love—its challenges and its power. As the philosopher Thomas Hobbes once suggested, does self-interest drive us, or are we wired for deeper connection? From everyday kindness to life’s...

Welcome to Lent and Hopefulness , the fourth episode of our Lent 2025 podcast series, ‘The Joys of Lent.’ Can Lent be a season of profound hope? This week, we welcome Fr Stanley Njoka, vicar of St Catherine’s in Hatcham and tutor in Pastoral Ministry at St Augustine’s.  In this episode, we explore how Lent isn’t just about sacrifice, fasting, and self-denial - it’s a time of hope.  Stanl...

Introducing episode 3 of our Lent 2025 podcast series, The Joy of Saying Sorry, bought to you by St Augustine’s College of Theology. This week, The Revd Dr Rebecca Swyer explores how saying sorry isn’t about guilt or shame but the deep joy of making peace with God. Through personal stories and worldly reflections, she talks about how small moments of repentance can transform our hearts and bring u...

Welcome to The Joy of Forgetting Oneself, the second episode of our Lent 2025 podcast series ‘The Joys of Lent.’ Do you struggle to stay present? In this second episode, our principal, Alan Gregory, reflects on Lent as a time not as rigid self-denial but as a chance to truly engage with life. With humour (including a story about spending Ash Wednesday in a Texas courtroom), personal tales, and har...

Welcome to Rejoicing in Mortality, the first episode of our Lent 2025 podcast series ‘The Joys of Spring.’ Lent invites us to slow down and reflect on life's deeper meaning. And to begin this journey, Bishop Martin, Bishop of Kingston, invites you to think about what it means to rejoice in our mortality. With warmth and honesty, he discusses the emotions that come with knowing life is finite. Thro...

From the 9th of March 2025, St Augustine's College of Theology will be bring you our new series of weekly Audio Retreats. This time around, we’re going to speak up for joy in Lent and help you find some. Over the course of this season, we’ll bring you five different takes on Lenten joy: - Rejoicing in Mortality - The Joy of Forgetting Oneself - The Joy of Saying Sorry - Lent and Hopefulness - Lent...

What would you do if the world were ending tomorrow? In Vulnerability and Peace , the final episode of the 2024 Advent Audio Retreat, Jenny Corcoran from St Augustine’s College of Theology explores how vulnerability and worship connect us to God’s promises, even amid life’s chaos. This reflective episode invites you to find stillness and peace through God’s work during Advent.  If you’re seek...

In the third episode of our 2024 Advent Audio Retreat series, “Fury and Love”, our principal, Alan Gregory, reflects on the complicated emotion of anger — something we all deal with but don’t always understand.  Together, we’ll consider how anger can be both a motivator and a troublemaker and explore the delicate balance of using it for good. With raw examples and thoughtful reflections, this...

In episode two of our 2024 Advent Audio Retreat series, "Fear and Faith,” Christian Doctrine and Ethics tutor Guido de Graaff reflects on how we can hold onto faith in the midst of fear.  Exploring how Advent reveals a deeper reality at work, Guido shares reflections on finding the strength to face personal and global challenges with renewed hope and purpose. If you’re looking for encourageme...

In episode one of our 2024 Advent Audio Retreat series, "Longing and Hope", Biblical Studies Tutor Simon Stocks leads us in a thoughtful reflection on Advent's themes of longing and hope. Together, we’ll explore the tension between present struggles and the promise of renewal. We'll also take a fresh look at the Earth Bible Project, hearing creation's voice amid ecological challenges and consideri...

St Augustine’s College of Theology is delighted to launch our brand-new Advent Audio Retreat series for 2024. Listen along as we count down the days of Advent together. Through these reflections, we’ll explore the beauty and challenges of our world and uncover the courage and hope found in God’s promise. In this video, our principal, Alan Gregory, shares what makes this four-part audio retreat so...