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 Annunciation of Our Lord
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Today the Church pauses Lent to celebrate the feast of the Annunciation — the moment Mary said yes, and the incarnation began. Father Aaron reflects on what her open hand has to do with everything we've been talking about this week.
Good morning. This is Northwood. Today, the church pauses Lent to celebrate something that changes everything. The moment God said yes to becoming one of us. 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, and today I've got a bonus episode for you. Today is March 25th. We call this the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord. It is one of the great feasts of the church. So significant that even when it falls in the middle of the Lent season, the church stops to celebrate. Here's what we're marking. The angel Gabriel comes to a young woman in Nazareth. Her name is Mary. And he tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and she will conceive and bear a son, and his name will be Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High, and his kingdom will have no end. And Mary says yes. That's the Annunciation. The Annunciation, the moment the eternal word of God took on human flesh, not yet born, but present. The incarnation begins here, not at the manger, it begins right here, right today. Now, why does this matter in the middle of a series about masters and valleys and surrender? Because Mary's yes is the first act of a new creation. Think about what we've been talking about all week. Yield to the wrong master, and you are diminished. Curved in on yourself. Shrinking. But Mary, a young woman, no power, no position, says yes to God, an open hand, and through that open hand, the entire rescue operation of heaven enters the world. She didn't earn it, she received it. That's the posture Paul was pointing us towards. That's what surrender looks like in the flesh. Every tradition that follows Jesus celebrates Mary today, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran. We all stop on March 25th and say this is where it began. A woman, a word, a yes. Today, whatever you're carrying, consider Mary's posture. Not her performance, not her credentials, but her open hand. 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. Follow us, share us, and reach us through the text us link in the description. Until tomorrow, God be with you. In the name of Fower, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.