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
The Four Movements of the Road
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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.
Good morning, this is Northword.
SPEAKER_00Staying on the road isn't a feeling, it's a practice, and it has four movements. Good morning. This is Northword, 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. Staying on the road is not a feeling, it is a practice. And Jesus shows us exactly what it looks like in the Emmaus story. He doesn't hand Cleopus a theology book. He doesn't fix him with one dramatic moment. He walks with him. He opens the scriptures. He lets it burn. He breaks the bread. Four movements. Constant, contemplation, reaction, testing. C C R T. Constant means not occasionally, not just when things get hard. The Emma's disciples didn't stop walking when they stopped understanding. They stayed on the road. Constant engagement with Scripture. Daily, ordinary, whether it feels alive or feels like nothing but some word on a page. That is how you stay on the road. You don't wait for the burning to show up before you open the word. You open the word and trust that he is already there. This is not heroic, this is simply consistently showing up. And this is a moment for you, as a listener, to be honest with yourself about what does your daily practice of scripture look like. Contemplation means there's a difference between reading scripture and sitting in scripture. Jesus walked seven miles with those disciples, opening the word to them. Seven miles. That is not a quick, quiet time. That is a letting something work on you slowly. Read a passage, then stop. Sit with it. Ask, what is burning in me right now?
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SPEAKER_00Reaction is placing yourself into the text, not just reading about Cleopus, asking, where am I in this story today? Am I walking away from Jerusalem right now? Am I exhausted? Done? The scripture is not just historically true, it is speaking into your specific road and testing. This is the one we skip. You take what you believe Jesus is saying to you, and you bring it to someone, your priest, a spiritual director, a trusted elder. Not because your reading is wrong, but because we all have blind spots. Let me repeat that. We all have blind spots. That is not a limitation, that is a gift. These four movements are not a program, they are the road. Stay on it. He is already there, and as you walk, the burning will make sense. And one day you will look back and say, Did not our hearts burn within us while they talk to us on the road. This has been Northword 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 who needs to hear it. Click the text us link to reach out and let us know where you're listening from. And until tomorrow, may God be with you.