Snyder's Church NB
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JULY 2, 2026            
 
COUNTER-CULTURAL SURRENDER
 
Dear Snyder's Church Family and Friends,
 
As we celebrate our nation's 250th Anniversary
our Scripture lesson this Sunday is St. Matthew 11: 16 - 19; 25 - 30.
The Sermon title is "Land That I Love And Compare!"
We shall sing "God Will Take Care Of You"; "America";
"Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory"; "America The Beautiful"
and other patriotic music.
Jeff will share the continuation of the children's moment.
We will conclude our Service with Holy Communion.
There is something quite important for us to understand as we celebrate Independence Day.
 
There is a "flip flop" quality to understanding today's scripture. It goes counter to our usual way of thinking. America is the home of Davey Crocket who conquered the "wild frontier" and Wyatt Earp who tamed the "wild west." We honor and value independence, self-sufficiency, strength and the glory of a "self-made" man or woman. Surrender is what we do not do. With brains and brawn we became a super power in the world. "Yankee ingenuity" is the brilliance that made us great. Resisting the yoke others would put on us is the strength that made us free.
 
Now Jesus comes along to say that wisdom and intelligence did not cut the mustard when it comes to knowing God. Not only is the yoke not be resisted, we are to voluntarily take this yoke upon ourselves and surrender to one who is greater than us!
 
How counter-cultural can you get? We can not fight, or think, or power ourselves into the kingdom of God and the peace of Christ.
 
Join with us this week as we celebrate our nation's birthday.
You will find a warm welcome at Snyder's Church and your heavy burdens can be lifted by the Christ that we worship.
May you truly be blessed today and may you also truly be a blessing to others.
God loves you and so do we.
See you in Church. 
Pastor Bill