Beauty – The First Word – Day One

Beauty: The First Word – Day One

Welcome to the first day of our Epiphany retreat, Beauty: The First Word with Chris Webb, Deputy Warden of Launde Abbey.

If you’ve not yet downloaded our Guide for online retreats you can find it here.

The worship resources and talks on these pages are offered by Launde free of charge as a gift to the wider church and community. If you find this online retreat helpful and would like to make a donation to support our ongoing ministry, thank you!

 
Take a few moments in silence as you begin your time of retreat today. Remind yourself that you spend today in the presence of God who loves you and seeks to draw you closer. Allow yourself to settle into stillness and silence within so that God’s voice can be heard.

You may want to begin the day by listening to Morning Prayer.

Or download the mp3 file so you can listen at another time
Or you may prefer the Church of England service of Morning Prayer here.

 

During the morning, watch Chris’s first reflection.

The images described in the talk, and a number of others you may wish to use for reflection, can be found here.
Hokusai’s Reflection in Lake at Misaka in Kai Province can be found here.
During this talk, Chris invites us to reflect on two questions:
1. What, in your world, is beautiful?
2. In what is beautiful can you see God’s beauty?

 

You may want to end the morning with Midday Prayer.

 

After lunch, watch Chris’s second reflection.

The images described in the talk, and a number of others you may wish to use for reflection, can be found here.
William Blake’s The Creation of Eve can be found here.
Domenico Ghirlandaio’s An Old Man and his Grandson can be found here.
During this talk, Chris invites us to reflect again on two questions:
1. What, in your world, is beautiful?
2. In what is beautiful can you see God’s beauty?

 

You may want to end the afternoon by listening to Evening Prayer.

Or download the mp3 file so you can listen at another time.
Or you may prefer the Church of England service of Evening Prayer here.

 

You may want to draw the day to a close by listening to Compline:

Or download the mp3 file so you can listen at another time.
Or you may prefer the Church of England service of Compline here.