N. T. Wright has this excellent summary of what worship is:
” ‘Worship’ was and is a matter of gazing with delight, gratitude, and love at the creator God and expressing his praise in wise, articulate speech. Those who do this are formed by this activity to become the generous, humble stewards through whom God’s creative and sustaining love is let loose into the world.” [1]
I like this summary. It not only address what worship is, but why we do it. I’ve had skeptics ask me why God wants us to worship. Does God really need our praise? I would make the argument that God doesn’t need it, but we do.
[1] N. T. Wright, The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion (New York, NY: Harper One, 2016), 100.