The NorthWord
NorthWord is a daily Christian podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican Family. Hosted by Father Aaron from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.
Here's how it works: Every Sunday we release the full sermon preached that morning. Then Monday through Saturday, you get 3-5 minute daily reflections based on that sermon - one thought you can actually use each day. Every Wednesday we explore the rhythm of Jesus' life and how his followers have lived it out for 2,000 years.
Whether you're Pentecostal, Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic, or just curious about faith - this is for you. Ancient faith. Real life. No fluff.
The Word. The North. Your Week.
Follow @StJohnsFortSmith and @TheAnglicanFamily
Episodes
104 episodes
The Crowd That Tells You to Hush
What do you do when everyone around you seems to be thriving and you feel completely stuck? Father Aaron explores the story of a blind man sitting in Jericho — the ancient city of victory — who couldn't see any of it. If you've ever felt sur...
Sitting in Jericho: When Victory Is Everywhere Except Your Life
What do you do when everyone around you seems to be thriving and you feel completely stuck? Father Aaron explores the story of a blind man sitting in Jericho — the ancient city of victory — who couldn't see any of it. If you've ever felt sur...
Why Are We Still Cutting the Ends Off the Ham?
Most of us carry patterns and habits we've never stopped to examine — passed down, absorbed, and accepted without question. In this episode, Father Aaron uses a simple story about a family recipe to open up the much bigger question: what are yo...
Exile Isn't Escape
Sojourners and exiles — present in the world, but not absorbed by it. Peter's closing warning is a call to stay engaged without losing yourself. The Resurrection is what makes it possible.
Holy Doesn't Mean Perfect
Holy doesn't mean flawless — it means set apart, oriented toward a different King. Father Aaron reclaims the word "holy" from shame and weaponization and puts it back where it belongs.
One Race
The world has many categories. God declares one: those born of water and the Spirit. In a divided world, baptismal identity matters more than ever.
You Are a Priest
Ordination sets some apart for specific roles, but baptism makes every believer a royal priest. Father Aaron unpacks what the royal priesthood means for your ordinary week in the North.
Rubble or Wall?
The Church isn't a building — it's a building being built. A living stone only lives when it's connected to the Living Stone. Disconnected, it's just rubble. Are you part of the wall?
Strip It Off
St. Peter opens with a call to cast off malice and all that leads from it. The first step of the Christian life is stripping down to become like a newborn, hungry for the Word.
Dig, Plant, Water, Grow
A garden doesn't grow by accident, and neither does a life with God. Four simple practices to carry into the weekend — and a reminder that the shepherd has already walked through the worst of it.
You Can't Do This Alone
A sheep on its own gets picked off. The Christian life was never meant to be private or isolated. Today we talk about why community isn't optional — and what to do if church has hurt you in the past.
By His Wounds
The shepherd calling you has wounds. He is not asking you to walk anywhere he has not already gone. Today we look at 1 Peter 2 and learn what it means to entrust ourselves to the one who judges justly.
Even Though
Psalm 23 doesn't promise a God who removes the valley. It promises a shepherd who walks through it with you. Mid-week, we name the valley we're in and learn what it means to fear no evil.
More Than Survival
Jesus didn't come so you could just get through the week. He came that you might have life, and have it abundantly. Today we ask where we've quietly settled for surviving when the shepherd is offering something fuller.
Who Are You Actually Following?
Today we start the week by naming the voices we've been following and asking whether any of them have actually earned the trust we've given them.
The Good Shepherd — It Matters the Chief
Father Aaron preaches from John 10, Psalm 23, and 1 Peter 2 on Good Shepherd Sunday. Every other ship will take on water. This shepherd has already walked through the worst of it — and he is calling you by name.
The Four Movements of the Road
Staying on the road isn't a feeling — it's a practice. Constant. Contemplation. Reaction. Testing. Jesus showed us on the road to Emmaus. He walks, opens the Scriptures, lets it burn, breaks the bread. A framework for daily faith.
Bread on the Side of the Road
He acts as if he's going further. They hold on. And then — bread. Broken. Given. Jesus takes the most ordinary thing and makes it holy. The table is not a memorial. It is the same moment those disciples had.
The Burning Was Him
"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?" The burning was there the whole time — before the recognition, before the breaking of the bread. That feeling you couldn't name? It had a name all along.
He Gets on the Road With You
Their eyes were kept from recognizing him — not they failed to recognize him. God's doing. He walks with people who have given up on him, before they can see him.
The Road That Won't Stay in Focus
That restless feeling on a long drive — the road won't stay in focus and something in you just wants to stop. Cleopas and his friend know that feeling too. "But we had hoped..." the most honest line in all of Scripture
We Are the People of the Way
Christians have always been called "the people of The Way" — tace ho-DOO — the people of the road. This week we walk the road to Emmaus with two disciples who quit, and discover what Jesus does when you stop.
Stay on the Road — 3rd Sunday of Easter
Luke 24:13–35. Two disciples walking away from everything they'd hoped for — and Jesus gets on the road with them. Father Aaron preaches on the burning Word, the breaking of the bread, and what it means to stay on the road when you can't see wh...
Where Are You Still Under a Yoke?
We’ve spent the week defining true freedom: it isn’t doing what you like; it’s doing what is right. As we prepare for Sunday worship, Father Aaron leaves us with one diagnostic question: Where are you still under a yoke?Sometimes the cha...