Small Church June 1, 2025

This Sunday we are encouraging Small Churches to spend a “retreat day” enjoying time together in a different way, or in a different setting. It is up to you for what will make the most meaningful retreat, however, we are inviting you to take a little bit of time to do a Grand Examen exercise together. This guided reflection is a way to pray through the year that was, and look ahead to the year to come. 

The Examen is a method of prayer which has been used throughout the centuries as a way to reflect on God’s presence in one’s life and community. This type of prayer was foundational for St Ignatius Loyola, and was the preferred method of prayer for the reformer John Calvin.

The most common form of Examen is a daily practice, where you review your day, listening and reflecting on where God has been present in your life. The Examen is a flexible type of prayer and can be easily adapted. It can be done solo or as a group, and it can be drawn out over time or  shortened to a few questions. You can even complete an examen with respect to a specific event, such as a meeting, a relationship, or even a conflict.

The Grand Examen is when you look back over a longer period of time (6 – 12 months). It is can be used when embarking on a new journey or at the completion of an event.

We will be using the Grand Examen to look back over the past 10 months of Small Church gatherings. 

There are many different methods for completing a Grand Examen, today we will be using one called the “Four Movements.” This includes:

• A Looking Back: review key moments and notice God’s presence
• A Looking Through: drawing connections and allowing themes and patterns to emerge
• A Looking Forward: using a sanctified imagination envision a future direction
• A Looking Around: take stock of what resources are available and what supports are needed

As you being, settle yourself into a comfortable position.

• You might place your hand on your heart, or you might hold them open on your lap.
• Perhaps you will imagine yourself in a comfortable location to talk with God.
• Maybe holding a pen and doodling is a position of comfort for you.

Looking back on your own journey with Small Church over the past year, invite the Holy Spirit to bring to mind key moments: 

• What are the highlights? The turning points? The landmarks on your journey?
• Is there anything you wish you could have left behind?
• Who was with you on this journey? Was someone or something missing?
• What was your role during these moments? Were you busy and active? Or quiet and listening?

As you finish “Looking Back” hold onto 3 – 4 key moments that have come up for you.

Call on Christ to help you discern the connections and deeper meanings within these key moments from Small Church over the past year. Holding these moments in your mind, sift and sort through them. 

• What are the common threads between these moments?
• Can you pinpoint any of the connections between the key moments?
• Take some time to trace the deeper meaning that is emerging. 

Reflect on where God has been present in the midst of your journey over this past year in Small Church.

• With the connections that have emerged for you, pay attention how God’s Holy Presence has woven through these moments (or how it has been absent). 
• What feelings connect these times? Take a moment to be with these feelings. Notice the feelings, but don’t try to change them. 
• Take some time to talk with God about these feelings.

As you continue this Grand Examen of your experience of Small Church over the past year, pull on your sanctified imagination and ask the question “What could be?”

With the Spirit, envision a possible future direction for your journey with Small Church.

• What is God calling you to do? Where is God leading you?
• What changes? What stays the same?
• What could there be more of? What could there be less of?
• Is there an invitation for someone new to join? Or a blessing for another to move on?

Looking out from the top of the hill, what is the vision of Small Church that God is inviting you to step into? This vision does not have to be grand or require big changes. Perhaps the invitation is for small changes of the heart. 

• Talk with God about what is your next most faithful step. 

Reflect on the resources and gifts of your community.

• What are the gifts which are already around you?
• If there is a gap in resources, what do you need to press on toward in the year to come?
• Is there something you want provided for you?
• Are there supports and structures you need to provide for others? A gift that you could share with others?

One final time, talk to God about “What is the next most faithful step to sustain this spiritual vision for the future?”

As this time draws to a close, give thanks to God. Share a word or phrase with Jesus, which you will carry on from this time. Finally, allow the Holy Spirit to draw you back into the presence of this room.

After completing the Grand Examen, share with one another about your experience.

If appropriate, share something which emerged for you during this time of prayer. 

Conclude this practice of the Grand Examen with a collective prayer of thanks to God. 

During CapKids time this past Sunday, we explored the big question: “What is the Bible?” We read What is the Bible? by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner. A beautifully written, child-friendly book that captures the Bible’s complexity, diversity, and wonder. It’s a great resource for helping kids get curious and excited about engaging with the Bible. 

Of course, one Sunday isn’t enough to cover everything the Bible is or can be, but we hope our conversation sparked curiosity and opened the door for more discussion at home. Below, you’ll find some of the “Wonder Questions” we explored together, along with responses you might find helpful as you continue the conversation with your children. 

As you talk with your kids, we encourage you not to rush into giving all the answers. Instead, follow their questions, wonder together, and don’t be afraid to share your own experiences, your favourite parts of the Bible, or even your struggles with understanding it. 

I asked the children to do two things this week: 

1. If you don’t already know, ask your parents if you have a Bible at home.

2. Ask your parents: What’s your favourite part of the Bible?

What do you think the Bible is? 

The Bible is a book, but more than that, it’s a collection of many books written in different styles and languages over thousands of years. It tells the stories of people across time and place who were trying to follow God. 

Who wrote the Bible? 

Lots of different people! We don’t know all their names, but by looking at how, when, and what they wrote, we get some clues. Most of the writers were men, but maybe some women contributed too. These people wrote the books that eventually became what we now call the Bible. 

Why is the Bible important? 

The Bible was written over thousands of years in various places across the Middle East. Some parts tell the history of God’s people; others are poems, songs, or letters meant to guide communities in following Jesus. Altogether, the Bible is a collection of stories about God’s ongoing desire to be in relationship with us. 

The books about Jesus’ life are called the Gospels, which means “good news!”

What the Bible is not: 

• It’s not a rule book that tells us who is good or bad, or who is worthy or unworthy of love. 
• It’s not a science book or a fact-only history book—it includes stories, perspectives, and truths told by real, imperfect people. 

As Christians, we believe that even though the Bible was written by humans, God speaks to us through its words. When we read it, we use our brains to ask good questions and be curious, and we use our hearts to hear messages of God’s love. 

Sometimes the Bible seems to say different things to us depending on where we are in life. That’s why we say the Bible contains “living words”, words that grow with us, challenge us, inspire us, and help us live with compassion and faith.

Spiritual Practice: Choose a story from the Bible to read this week. Each day, read the story aloud twice, thinking about these questions after each reading. I would recommend a gospel account or parable. 

1. What word or phrase calls to you? 
2. What did you wonder about this word or phrase? 
3. What do you think God is telling you through this word or phrase?
4. What do you feel called to do with this word or phrase? 

Each day, read the same Bible story and ask the same questions. At the end of the week, think about what you’ve learned about this story. Did the story feel the same each day? Did you learn something different about the story by reading it on different days? 

The wonder bible is a great bible for younger children. As the length of the stories and the language used are great for our littlest readers. The best part may be that each passage ends with some questions to reflect back on the story. It covers 30 stories from the old and new testament and would be a great starting point for exploring the bible with your child. 

Recommended for Ages 3-8

This is the most comprehensive bible I will be recommending. This collaborative effort is rich with content and resources to explore scripture with your children. The bible covers the Old and New Testament, with 140 different passages. Each passage has a beautiful visual, well and wonder questions, prayers and activities. This is an all in one book that could be used as a bible or devotional. 

Recommended for Age 5-12

This is the bible I have been using the most this year, I just find the language and imagery used so helpful in 

understanding scripture in a relatable way. I would definitely recommend this for elementary and older, but especially for young girls. This bible is really focused on highlighting the sometimes overlooked female- centred stories. It also includes mindfulness exercises as an invitation to respond and process the text further. 

Recommended for Ages 7+

This is a great book for covering the gospels in a new way. The 20 stories in this book are written in a way that puts the reader into the story, which makes this a great read aloud bible. I would say it’s best suited for elementary age children as the stories are longer in length. 

Recommended for Ages 6-12