Many reading this blog will have heard or read this definition before, as have I. Sunday I heard it quoted again and decided it was time to "get it down" not only on paper, but also in my mind and heart. I am in the process of memorizing it, and pray for grace to live it out. William Temple was Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-44).
To worship is
to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God,
to feed the mind with the truth of God,
to purge the imagination by the beauty of God,
to open the heart to the love of God,
to devote the will to the purpose of God.
In an age as self-centered as ours, such focus on God will not come naturally. But paradoxically therein is found our true humanity and human flourishing. As St. Augustine (354-430 AD) put it, "Thou has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."