You Cannot Love Me More, a prayer affirming God’s unconditional love

An Undivided Heart by Gillian Ross

You cannot love me more
You will not love me less
You love me fully
Now and always

Help me accept the gift of your love
Help me trust it
Help me accept it fully

There’s no need to earn your love
No need for anxious striving
No fear of misstep or failure

You release me from falsehood
You free me from shame
You make me alive with promise

You cannot love me more
You will not love me less
You love me fully
Now and always

Hallelujah!

You Cannot Love Me More © 2023 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Prayers Inspired by 1 John

Inspired by 1 John 1:7
If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Hallelujah!
Blessing and honor to God, the Beautiful and Holy One!
You are helping us walk together
Helping us walk together in fellowship and light

Hallelujah! You are
Drawing us together in the journey of faith
Cleansing us
Redeeming us
Fulfilling your goodness and hope through us
Making us light as you are light

Hallelujah!
Blessing and honor to God
Blessing and honor to the Beautiful and Holy One!

Inspired by 1 John 2:6
Whoever says, “I abide in him” ought to walk in the same way as he walked.

Welcoming One,
You abide in me, I abide in you
a mystery, a grace, a belonging
May this belonging bear fruit
May this belonging be seen by all
An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace

Make me a sign,
written in your hand, written on your palm

Make me a sign
Aglow in the shadows, lighting the way to you
Lighting the way home to you

Inspired by 1 John 3:14b
Whoever does not love abides in death

Love one another, as Christ commanded
As Christ demonstrated through deed and truth
As Christ made possible through death and resurrection
As Christ sustains through the gift of Holy Spirit

Love is life, choose life over death
Love is truth, choose truth over death
Love is righteousness, right relationship with one and all
Creator and creation, Sovereign and self
Choose righteousness over death

We love in word and speech, deed and truth
We love and abide
We love and live

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Glory to you, the Way, the Truth, the Life
Glory to you, the Resurrection and the Life
Love and Life are made possible through you

Inspired by 1 John 4:16a
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

You love me
You love first
You are Love

You make it possible for me to love and be loved
For me to be born of your love, born again
For me to abide in you, and you in me
For me to abide in your love

Perfectionism is twisted and harmful
It’s not about being perfect for you
Your love for me is already perfect
It’s about you perfecting your love in me
Your love through me

You’re perfecting your love and perfecting my trust of your love
My trust of you, Love
Help me trust you
Help me accept the gift of you and your love

Inspired by 1 John 5:7-8
There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.

Testify, Brother Water
You who witness
creation from chaos
freedom of slaves
the bearing and birthing of Word Made Flesh

Testify, Sister Blood
You who witness
death pass over
genocide and sacrifice
the bearing and birthing of resurrection and life

Testify, Holy Spirit
You who witness
the way in the wilderness
the fire of Pentecost
the bearing and birthing of courage and call

May your truth and our truth speak the same story
of God’s grace, power, and transforming love

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Reading through 1 John is part of the 2023 Bible Reading Plan for the New Year. Consider this your invitation to join us. Click here for more information and the plan. 

Prayers Inspired by 1 John © 2023 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Sermon Recording- The Who, When, Where of Love (Luke 4:14-30)

no-them only us

Sermon Series: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
What’s love got to do with it? Everything! It’s the who, what, when, where, how and why of our words and actions as follower of Jesus Christ.

Cornerstone Scripture for the Series: 1 John 4:15-17
God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.

Message: The Who, When, Where of Love
Scripture: Luke 4:14-30
Offered 7/24/16 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida

Love = Agape
Sacrificial, Unconditional, Makes the first move
Love is a choice tied to an action
Not so much an emotion but a motivation

The folks in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth reject him because they want the miracles and blessings all to themselves, like the seagulls in Finding Nemo– Mine! Mine! Mine! But the who, when, and where of love is the movement of me to we. It’s been that way from the beginning. – Lisa Degrenia <><

There’s no us and them, there’s only us. – Lisa Degrenia <><

Click Here to view the video- the DNA Journey

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I’m excited to now offer mp3’s of my Sunday messages. A huge thank you to Leon and my brothers and sisters at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota for all their help in making this possible. If you’re ever in Sarasota, please drop by for worship Sundays at 9am or 10:30am, or drop by during the week for a chat or small group. You and those you love are always welcome.

© 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Contact Lisa for posting and publication considerations.

Sermon Recording- How to Love (Matthew 25)

as unto christ matthew 25

Sermon Series: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
What’s love got to do with it? Everything! It’s the who, what, when, where, how and why of our words and actions as follower of Jesus Christ.

Cornerstone Scripture for the Series: 1 John 4:15-17
God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.

Message: How to Love
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-40
Offered 7/24/16 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida

Love = Agape
Sacrificial, Unconditional, Makes the first move
Love is a choice tied to an action
Not so much an emotion but a motivation

United Methodist Four Areas of Focus

It’s easy to do good from a distance, but that’s not what we do. Yes we give, but we also welcome, we take care, we visit. We love with skin in the game because that’s what God does for us in Jesus Christ. In this loving, we experience a full circle moment. We accept the gift of God’s love, we share that love, in that sharing we are loving God.
– Lisa Degrenia <><

Worship Resources
Reader’s Theater- Separating the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25)

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I’m excited to now offer mp3’s of my Sunday messages. A huge thank you to Leon and my brothers and sisters at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota for all their help in making this possible. If you’re ever in Sarasota, please drop by for worship Sundays at 9am or 10:30am, or drop by during the week for a chat or small group. You and those you love are always welcome.

© 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Contact Lisa for posting and publication considerations.

Sermon Recording- What Love Looks Like (1 Corinthians 13)

HarperMonster

Sermon Series: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
What’s love got to do with it? Everything! It’s the who, what, when, where, how and why of our words and actions as follower of Jesus Christ.

Cornerstone Scripture for the Series: 1 John 4:15-17
God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.

Message: What Love Looks Like
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 11
Offered 7/17/16 at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota Florida

Love = Agapebarbara brown taylor love neighbor
Sacrificial, Unconditional, Makes the first move
Love is a choice tied to an action
Not so much an emotion but a motivation

Click Here to see the video of a child hitting then hugging a pinata mentioned in the sermon.

Love is a Verb- Patient and Kind
Love is patient – enduring, persevering, long suffering (verse 4)
Patience is not irritable or resentful (verse 5)
Patience bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (verses 7-8)

Love is kind– caring, generous, thoughtful, compassionate (verse 4)
Kindness is not envious, boastful, arrogant, or rude (verses 4-5)
Kindness does not insist on its own way (verse 5)
Kindness does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth (verse 6)

Harper describing her picture of the monster
“So, like, this is a monster and he is mad because everyone is being mean to him.
But then I come to him and tell him, ‘You don’t have to be mad, just be nice to them’ and then I hold his hand and then he was happy. I’d like to take him home to be happy so he’s not alone.”

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I’m excited to now offer mp3’s of my Sunday messages. A huge thank you to Leon and my brothers and sisters at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota for all their help in making this possible. If you’re ever in Sarasota, please drop by for worship Sundays at 9am or 10:30am, or drop by during the week for a chat or small group. You and those you love are always welcome.

© 2016 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Contact Lisa for posting and publication considerations.