http://unyumc.org/churches/detail/692

United Methodist Church of Montour Falls, 128 Owego Street (PO Box 309), Montour Falls, NY (2026)

06/08/2026

Pastor Mike: Where did these blankets come from?💁
Jody: My friend made them and donated to the church.🧏‍♀️
Marsha: Thank you so much! They will be a great start to our Spread the Warmth Mission when the weather turns cold again.🦸‍♀️
🥰We Are The Church!👏

06/04/2026

We ♥️ our Greeter Sandy! Congratulations to you and Tom👏🎉

05/19/2026

Pastor Mike's sermon manuscript Sunday May 17th:
This past week, we honored Police Officers and members of Armed Forces, with last week being National Police Officers Week and yesterday being National Armed Forces Day and this month being Armed Forces month, so something that comes to mind when you are staring danger squarely in the face in faith.
Do you have faith? With a show of hands, please let me see how many of you do. While most of you raised your hands, I would like you to consider whether you really have faith after I get through with this sermon.
I suppose the first thing we should do is to define what I mean by “faith.” Let’s first begin with what faith is not. Faith is not: A relationship where we keep God on retainer, calling him when you need him like Santa Clause. I used to have God on a retainer when I was a younger man during the “wilderness period” in my life when I had fallen away from my religious roots. I was serving as a Deputy Sheriff right here in this county, then Seneca then in Florida. It was an exciting and formative period in my life except for one thing, especially while serving in Florida. Whether that be serving search warrants for drugs, on the SWAT team, ducking while under fire or avoiding being sliced apart by a sugar cane knife, I would literally scream, “Save me Jesus, save me Jesus, save me Jesus, save me Jesus.” While this may sound like a joke, it isn’t because I was deadly serious at the time.
However, after the incident was over, I would promptly dismiss God from my conscience until the next time I needed him.
This wasn’t faith on my part but hedging my bets. I was using God to bring me good luck. To me, God was like a holy good luck charm. I always wore a St. Michael’s medal around my neck, the Patron Saint of Law Enforcement but never truly thought much of it most of the time.
Faith is not a risk-free commodity. If you have a faith that won’t allow you to take risks, then that isn’t faith. Having faith, true faith, can be most uncomfortable, dangerous and unnerving at times. It requires you to be willing to take risks by speaking out against injustice, or saying “I love you,” to someone who continues to hurt you, or by reaching out to those you would rather not have contact with.
Faith is not a sophisticated belief or moral perfection. You can say the Apostles Creed forwards, backwards, and even under the influence and that’s still not faith. That’s simply a recapitulation of church doctrine. And as for moral perfection, I know some mighty faithful people who are far from perfect.
Now that we know what faith isn’t, let’s examine what faith is. Faith is: Saying “Yes” to God wholeheartedly and freely.
Faith is trusting God with our whole self. This means submitting completely to God in your life.
Faith naturally leads to action. That’s why faith is let what we have and more of what we do.
This last criterion about “action” came to mind as I was reflecting on the events of 9/11 now nearly 25 years ago. Ordinary people did extraordinary things that day and became flesh and blood heroes who risked, and in many cases lost their lives behaving heroically. This includes the firefighters, police, emergency medical personnel and other first responders who put their lives on the line to save the victims at the Twin Towers.
The heroes of that day also included private citizens. Many private citizens became rescuers of the wounded. Airline passengers stormed a cockpit of a high jacked plane. As the need arose, flesh and blood people motivated by a hidden power stepped up to the plate on behalf of others.
It’s fair to say none of these brave men and women even dreamed that they would be put in life and death situations when they woke up that morning. Nor do I suspect that many of these folks even suspected, much less believed, that they had the “right stuff” to rise to the occasion when the situation demanded that they do. Yet they did, time after time that day, even at the cost of their lives. So, how do we account for this uncommon behavior? I believe that in most instances, it was a matter of faith.
I think we get a glimpse of how this happens in our reading this morning from Exodus. In our lesson we have the story of Moses parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape from Pharaoh’s army. Just a few verses before our reading begins this morning, Pharaoh and his charioteers have the Israelites pinned against the shore of the Red Sea. Seeing that they were in danger, the Israelites panicked and cried out to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very
thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians?’ For it would be better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
From this account, it doesn’t sound like these cowering Israelites have the “right stuff,” does it? In fact, they sound like a bunch of whining cry-babies, not like heroes. Moses, realizing he had a near panic situation on his hands, tried to encourage them and assure them that God would protect them. He said, “Do not be afraid the Lord will fight for you.” But God wasn’t in the mood for whining. He said to Moses, “Why do you cry out
to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.”
According to the text that picks up this morning, Moses stretches out his hand over the sea and the Lord drove the sea back so the Israelites could move forward in safety. But can you picture this scene? If you remember from the movie The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston as Moses, when the Red Sea was parted you had these two huge walls of swirling water on either side of the path the God made for the Israelites. I imagine the Israelites were just as fearful of these walls of water crashing down on them as much as there were afraid of the Egyptians.
So where did they find this courage to take that first step? What happened to the Israelites that day was probably what happened to the many heroes and heroines on 9/11. They found within their hearts the courage they needed and they acted accordingly. The operative word is they “acted,” they responded to something that was already in their hearts. They essentially said “yes” to God freely and wholeheartedly. They answered their own prayers for protection by walking into the breach between the massive columns of water. The people were expecting God to respond to their prayers by acting on their behalf. God’s answer was for the people to be participants in the fulfillment of their own prayers! No less miraculous than the sea splitting open was the site of the people taking that first step into the water. In that moment, an entire people responded to the voice of God, and to their own prayers of
salvation.
I read a commentary from the late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel described this beautifully when he called the action of the Israelites taking that first step into the dry path of the Red Sea as the “Amen of action.” In other words, the peoples’ faith in God’s providence impelled them to take that first step. Their faith was basically saying “yes” to God’s initiative and they acted accordingly.
So how do we tap into that hidden power and become genuine heroes? I think it comes from understanding our true relationship with God. In this connection, Richard Hauser, a Jesuit priest, provides a valuable insight. Hauser writes in the book, “In His Spirit,” that many of us have a huge misunderstanding about us and God. It is the illusion that the self is outside God, whereas, Hauser maintains, the biblical model is that the self is in God. Because of this misunderstanding, he suggests, that we tend to think of God and the grace of God and the action of God’s Holy Spirit as distant realities to be searched for and relentlessly pursued. Hauser says that the insight we need to grasp is that “we already possess the Holy
Spirit of God. Yes, it certainly is beyond and outside us, around us and through all creation, but, by virtue of our baptisms, it is also within us. God is an ‘Emmanuel God,’ a God with us.”
If we were to accept this reality and do as Moses and Israelites did, namely, step aside so that the Spirit within us can use us as God intends, we would also act more faithfully, even heroically.
I am reminded of the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. As you recall, he was convinced he was a coward. The Wizard of Oz, realizing that the lion was not really a coward, told him that all he needed was a medal for valor to find his courage. After pinning this medal on the lion’s chest, the lion’s self-perception changed and he found his courage. Naturally, it wasn’t the medal that gave him courage. It is in his heart all along. He just needed to know he had the right stuff to be a hero and his attitude changed completely. Just like the lion, we also have the right stuff to be to be more faithful, and when the occasion arises, to be heroes. It doesn’t come when we pin a badge on or when we pin a medal on it is in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit and this “it” is faith.
Let us pray that those who are these examples and good models of what sacrificial and faithful heroes look like. By recognizing and utilizing the power that is in us through the Holy Spirit, we have the capacity to rise to the occasion when challenged. We will also discover that we are quite capable of doing things we have never done before, including acting heroically just as we are called to do.
AMEN

05/14/2026

A reminder to church members for the t-shirt fundraiser, orders are due this Sunday 5/17. An email was sent out, if you didn't get it please reach out to Marsha, 607-542-0810 call or text.

05/10/2026

Pastor Mike's Sermon for this Mother's Day May 10th, 2026:
Wishing everyone a heartfelt Mothers Day blessing as I publish today's sermon manuscript: Jesus may have said, "I will ask the Father" But Dad always said: "Go ask your mother." Dad always said, "Don't do what I do, do what I say." But Mom always said, "If you loved me, you would do what I tell you."
That's how we begin this text, with Jesus saying to his disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."
That's why I think God must be a lot like my mother and probably a lot like yours, too. Oh, not that my mother was perfect. Sometimes she came really close. But I have to admit, when I was a kid, I didn't always think so.
As I was preparing for this sermon I found this essay called "The Meanest Mother in the World"
"I had the meanest Mother in the world. While other kids had candy for breakfast, I had to eat my cereal, eggs and toast. While other kids had cakes and candy for lunch, I had a sandwich. As you can guess my supper was different from other kids' supper too. My mother was so mean that she insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were in a prison or something. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. I am ashamed to admit this, but my Mother, actually had the nerve to break the child labor laws. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make our beds and clean up after ourselves. I think my mother must have stayed awake at night thinking of things for us kids to do. And she insisted that we tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She never let me get away with anything. By the time we were teenagers my mother was even wiser and our life became even more unbearable. She would embarrass us by insisting that our friends come to the door instead of tooting the car horn for us to come running. And she always insisted that we be home early on school nights and never let us stay out late on weekends like all our other friends. We missed so much fun. Mother was so mean that she that she refused to let us date at the mature age of 13 or 14, like so many of our friends did. Instead, we had to wait until we were 16. She kept telling us that there was a lot of time - and that we needed to grow up a bit first. Mother really raised a bunch of squares. None of us was arrested for shoplifting or busted for dope. And who do we have to thank for this --- you're right - our mean old mother. I am trying to raise my children to stand a little straighter and taller and I am secretly tickled to pieces when my children call me mean. I thank God forgive me the meanest mother in the world. I think that our country doesn't need a good five cent cigar. IT needs more mean Mothers like mine.
Yes, there were times when I thought my mom was the "Meanest Mother in the World," too. I always knew that my Mom said what she meant and meant what she said. Sometimes I didn't like that. Sometimes back then I wished she were a little more indulgent. But I realize now that Mom knew that permissiveness would lead to my becoming a self-indulgent adult.
Though Mom wasn't demonstrative about her faith, I know she prayed for me. In fact, she taught me to pray. Some of my earliest memories are of Mom coming to my bedside to tuck me in. She would read me a story from the Bible Picture Story Book and then I was to "say my prayers." – "Now I lay me down to sleep...I pray the Lord my soul to keep." Then she would tuck me in and kiss me goodnight. I felt warm, safe and secure.
I think God gives us Moms and Dads to help children feel warm and safe and secure in this sometimes-scary world. That sense of security and trust helps a child grow to be a self-confident adult. A lot of children are raised without that sense of security. I was fortunate.
Mom was also the disciplinarian in our house. With on an occasional, "Wait until your father gets home" from her.
That part we read earlier from I Peter 3:13 reminded me of Mom when it said: "Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?" I have heard it said that most kids are really eager to do good and please their parents. Mom explained that pretty clearly!
Mom made the rules and she stood by them, at least most of the time. I came to understand that her following through on rules and boundaries helped me to know that I was cared for, at least eventually. Now Mom didn't love me on the basis of my ability to follow her rules, she loved me no matter what, but she loved me enough to set rules and see that I learned to follow them. Because of that I was able to learn discipline and self-control, and respect for authority. Respect was especially a big thing with her and dad.
If you love me, Jesus said, you will keep my commandments. Both Jesus and Mom knew that the rules and teachings were there for our own best interests.
I heard another preacher say that when he asked as a child what he could give his mother for Mother's Day she said, "If you love me, be nice to your brothers and sisters." I think that's what Jesus meant!
Yes, Mom was a teacher and a guide and a rule setter. But she was also a nurturer and a comforter. Mom was the one to care for me when I was hurt or ill. She knew just the right remedies for whatever was wrong. There weren't many: Merthiolate and a band-aid for a cut, alcohol rub for a fever or injury, salt water for a sore throat, Vicks for a cold and Pepto Bismal for a stomach ache. Sometimes all I needed was a kiss and a cookie, she really couldn’t cook but man she could bake. Oh, and of course, there was always the threat of corporal punishment when I needed it, too.
Mom knew just when to help me and comfort me and when to make me get up and try again. After I became a parent myself I realized how hard that must have been, to teach me to be self-sufficient and confident when it would have been easier to just do it for me. How much more difficult it was for her to teach me that certain actions have consequences, when she would rather have saved me from ever having to experience hurt or failure. Because of that I believe I was able to learn to be responsible for my actions.
And isn't that just like our Lord? Life gives us some hard lessons; but God knows how to use them to make us better persons. When Jesus was getting ready to leave this world and knew that he would be leaving his anxious disciples on their own, he reassured them by saying: "Father is going to send you another Comforter, to be with you forever."
You see, because Jesus and Mom can't always be with us, God sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Christ with us. That word "Comforter" is "Paraclete" in the Greek. It means "another one just like myself,” it means "one who will go along beside you." In the Roman custom, a wealthy family engaged a slave to be a "paraclete" for their children. The Paraclete was like a constant nanny for the child, he would walk them to school, wait outside for them, and walk them home again. The Paraclete was a constant presence, employed to help the child, to guide the child, to monitor the child and to guard the child's life with his very own, just like a mom?
The Holy Spirit is also Christ for us. Sometimes that Paraclete would serve as an advocate for the child. He would report to the family of the child's progress. If the child got into trouble, the Paraclete would stand before the parents and defend and be a champion for the child, pleading his or her case. In many instances, the Paraclete would even take the child's punishment, just like our Jesus?
What a beautiful image Jesus leaves his disciples with when he tells them: I will not leave you orphaned. I will come to you.
I remember when my mom died, I experienced a sense of loss and grief that I had never before encountered. It was a feeling of utter loss, desolation, and abandonment. Of course, I knew she didn't abandon me on purpose. But grief is most often irrational.
God knows she would have chosen rather to live out a full life as wife and mother and child of God. But she died at a rather young age. I really thought I was prepared for her death, for she had endured so much those last few years of her illness. But when she died, I remember one terribly lonely day grieving with great anguish.
God knows how that feels. You may know how it feels, too. But Jesus said, "I will not leave you orphaned." – "I will not leave you desolate. I will come to you."
When he says "I will come to you" he isn't just saying he will come again on the last day, he is promising that he will come to them, to us, in the form of the Holy Spirit. You see, God loves us so much he just can't stay away from us! God wants to be in constant contact with us. Like the best of mothers, God wants to nurture us, and to grow us up to be happy, productive adults. God wants to protect us, to guide us, to instruct us, to heal us, to forgive us, to love on us and to kiss away our tears.
Now, isn't that just like some moms you know of? Oh, thanks be to moms and all the loving persons in our lives who have taught us what God is like. And thanks be to God who has loved us with such an utterly amazing, unconditional and overwhelming love. How in the world could anyone refuse a Love like that?

05/10/2026

What was in your mother's purse?
Maybe some tissues to dry your tears, band-aids to heal your boo-boo, a snack when you were hungry? But most of all you could always count on her love and faith being there for you everyday!
💐Happy Mothers Day to everyone💞

United Methodist Church of Montour Falls

06/08/2026

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