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.
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The NorthWord
He Gets on the Road With You
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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.
Good morning. This is Northword. Jesus doesn't wait for you to be on a good road before he shows up. Good morning, this is Northward, the Word, the North, your Week. A daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron. In Luke 24, Cleopus and his friend are walking away from everything, and Jesus joins them. But Luke tells us something important here. Their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Not they failed to recognize him, their eyes were kept. This is God's doing. He is present before they can perceive him. He is walking with people who have given up on him and doing it in a way they cannot yet see. It's not a moral failure on their part, it's grace. Think about a time you look back on now and realize someone was with you before you knew it. There are so many encounters I've had on my journey to the ministry. That when I was in those moments, I can remember the despair, the inability to believe in God's grace, to trust God's grace. But looking back now, I see that God was with me in each of those moments, and those moments were necessary to bring me to where I am today. And you know, I see that in my ministry now. I see that all the time right here in Fort Smith. There are so many people in this town who don't go to church, no affiliation, might even say they don't believe. Yet when they hit that sudden snowstorm on the highway, they slow down and they pray. When their marriage hits a bump in the road, they call the priest. When therapy seems to be just sitting in a parking lot going nowhere, they call the church. They may struggle with clergy, they may struggle with institutions, but somewhere there is a burning, a calling, a holding on. Now some people call that indoctrination. I call that Jesus. On the road before the recognition, before they even know to look. God does not wait for you to be on a good road before he shows up. He meets you on the winter road that's been melting, the bumpy, brutal one, the one where you can't keep your eyes in focus, and something in you just wants to stop. He's already there before you recognize him, before you even know to look. Where do you see that burning in your own life or in someone around you right now? Name it. That burning has a name, and we'll get there tomorrow. This has been Northward, the Word, the North Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share this with somebody. Click the text us link to reach out and let us know where you've joined us from. And until tomorrow, God be with you. In the name of Fower, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.