The Hallowing of Life

“Let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” — Psa.m xcv. 6.

An act of worship is intended to hallow the life. It is not a fleeting bit of ritualism, a spasm of homage which passes with the hour. It is purposed to be the expression of a mood in which everything in life is to be sanctified. Acts of worship are to create the atmosphere in which we live and move and have our being. Shall we say that the acts are to create attitudes, so that when we leave the sanctuary the spirit of worship is to accompany us into our common life? I am to take the reverence of the Church

180 The Hallowing of Life

into the market. The spirit of adoration is to be with me in the country lane. Yes, a certain awe is to be at the background of my festivity, hallowing my movement, and making my laughter pure and sweet as the morning song of birds.

So do I say that when we go to worship we go to hallow life. The hour is spent in the service of the year. And let us remember that in these acts posture helps the mood of worship. ‘“‘ Let us worship... let us kneel.” We add fresh difficulties to the soul when we deny it the helpmeet of the body. When the body lounges, the soul finds it hard to worship. A man with his hands in his pockets will find it difficult to pray. Yes, irreverent postures are unfriendly to adoration. And therefore let us make our bodies the servants of our souls. When we worship, let our bodies manifest the wished-for mood of the soul. ‘“‘ Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”