Cokesbury Memorial United Methodist Church

Jeanne Calment of France lived to 122 years old despite smoking and eating lots of chocolate. That doesn't make her a bad person but it makes her longevity surprising. Preachers of the "prosperity gospel" often tell us that God rewards...

Pastor Frankie tells us a traditional story of John bringing a boy to a bishop. After baptizing the boy, the bishop becomes more relaxed in his protectiveness and the boy eventually turns to crime -- and away from God. The story illustrates that...

People often ask for a list of sins so they can avoid committing any. Guest preacher Art Justice explains that while sin can be many things, sin is really a singular word and there is no comprehensive list of sins. "It is whatever causes you to...

Guest preacher Art Justice preaches from the passage in Mark in which Jesus responds to the Disciples' argument about who among them is the greatest and best able to continue Jesus' teaching. Interpreting Jesus' metaphor of the little...

In his previous sermon, guest preacher Art Justice said teachers are his favorite people in the world. This week, he tempered that message with a caution based on the epistle of James. Teachers have to be incredibly careful with the power they have to...

Guest preacher Art Justice sheds light on the confusing passage from the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus honors the faith of the woman born in Syrian Phoenicia. In addition to providing critical context for understanding Jesus' words -- and the...

Guest preacher Art Justice discusses Jesus' view of laws. The sermon is based on the rebuke of the Pharisees who criticized Jesus and his disciples for eating with unwashed hands.

Guest preacher Art Justice talks about the choices we make to come to church or not, to read the Bible or not, to take Communion or not. Of Communion, Art compares it to a check engine light in a car: "Think of it as that light that's going...

When God sets us a task, He also provides the tools needed to get the job done.

As a church, what opportunities are we not seizing because acting upon them would be inconvenient.

Pastor Frankie returns to the theme of the vision for the church. He tackles the idea that to attract more people you need to do more things. "We're not doing this to manage programs. We're doing this to change lives," Frankie...

Pastor Frankie preaches from 2 Samuel, when David seeks to build a house for God.

Pastor Frankie recounts the Old Testament story of King David moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, with a special emphasis on Uzzah's fatal mistake.

Usually when a preacher starts out in a new town, there's a honeymoon period. The congregation is open to hearing new messages and the preacher gets a warm reception. That wasn't Jesus experience when he returned to Galilee and began...

Preaching on verses between the lectionary readings, Pastor Frankie examines Saul's death and David's response.

In a sermon marking the confirmation of four teens from the congregation, Pastor Frankie draws parallels between the challenges they will face and the story of David versus Goliath.

Lay Leader Brian Donley offers a Father's Day sermon. "We can do no better thing for our children than to personally walk in the way that we should go."

In the Methodist tradition, baptism is something that is done once. The sacrament brings responsibilities for the parents, the sponsors and the congregation at large. Most of the work, as usual, is done by God.

A recent tragedy on the grounds of Cokesbury Memorial provides a stark reminder of the need in the community for our congregation to reach out.

One of the most fantastic episodes in the New Testament is when the resurrected Jesus in his resurrected body ascended into Heaven. Lay Leader Marianne Potter explores the meaning of this event.