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 Anchor Holds | Good Friday | "Anchored"
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Good Friday is not designed to make you feel inspired — it's designed to make you honest. Father Aaron brings the week's central refrain to the foot of the cross. From St. John's Fort Smith.
Good morning. This is Northword. Good Friday is not designed to make you feel inspired. It's designed to make you honest. Good morning. This is North Word, 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. Today is Good Friday. On Sunday, I said something I want to bring back this morning. I said that the real Jesus will never make us superficially happy. He will not let us act on our emotions. He will not agree with our politics or love our lifestyle while disagreeing with everyone else's. And I said that the moral of Palm Sunday is exactly that Jesus didn't fit their narrative. And so he was crucified. On Sunday he looks great, on Friday he looks problematic. Good Friday is where the constructed Jesus falls apart completely. The Jesus of our own making, convenient, comfortable, easy to follow, is not on that cross. The one on the cross rode there anyway, knowing what it would cost, because devotion to the Father and love for us was more than any emotion could carry. The crowd scattered. Peter denied. Thomas disappeared. Only those who had moved past enthusiasm into something deeper, something that looked less like feeling and more like faithfulness stayed anywhere near that hill. The crowd is driven by emotion. The Christian is anchored by devotion. Today that anchor is a cross. It is not comfortable. It is not designed to leave you feeling good. Good Friday asks you to stand at the foot of it and look at what it actually costs. Not the decorated version, but the real one. Bring what's true today. Bring the place you've drifted this week. Bring the picture of Jesus you've been carrying that's more convenient than real. Good Friday can hold on to it. The anchor holds precisely here, in the storm at the cross. 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 this episode, and reach out through the text us link in the description. And until tomorrow, God be with you. Amen.