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
Even Though
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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.
Good morning, this is Northword. The valley doesn't disappear, but something changes in the middle of it. Good morning. This is Northward, the Word, the North, your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Wart Smith, in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron, and I want to take you to the most famous verse in Psalm 23, because I think we might be reading it a little bit wrong. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say the shepherd takes you out of the valley, it doesn't say the valley disappears. It says, even though, even though I walk through it, I will not be afraid. That is a wildly different promise than the one we want. We want a God who removes the valley, a God who pulls us out before the heart part starts, a God who keeps the diagnosis from coming, the marriage from struggling, the kids from wandering, the layoff from hidden. But the psalm isn't offering that. It's offering something better. Actually, though it doesn't feel better at first. It's offering a presence in the middle of it. Here in the north, we know something about the valley. We know what it means to live in a place where the weather doesn't care about your plans, where the distance is real, where the loss is close. You don't need a sermon to tell you life has hard stretches. What you need to hear is this you're not walking through the valley alone. The shepherd didn't promise a detour. He promised his rod and his staff, his protection and his guidance. Right there with you in the shadow. So on Wednesday, right in the middle of the week, I want you to do something simple. Name your valley, not to wallow in it, to hand it over. Say out loud, This is where I am, and you are with me here. The shadow doesn't go away, but a shadow can't hurt you. Only the thing casting it can. And the shepherd has already put himself between you and that. Thank you for having joined us this morning. 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. I hope you've enjoyed your time with us. Please feel free to use the text us link in the description to reach out. And until tomorrow, God be with you.