Though sung worship is central to our expression of church (culturally, and

certainly for us at Bread) the words translated as worship in the new

testament aren’t actually to do with singing specifically at all. They

build to a much more general picture full and submission and devotion, and

wherever these new worshipful communities spread, generosity was their

hallmark. It’s not an aspect of christianity that many of us feel most

comfortable with, is it? But as Paul reminded the church in Corinth (a

community particularly known for its generous promises) giving should not

be done under compulsion; rather as a mark of evidence that God’s grace has

been understood. Let’s return to this picture of God as the ultimate

cheerful giver - the one who shows us how much He loves to gives his

children good gifts - as we try to comprehend how this was always meant to

work for us too.