I remember a time when the church I grew up in would annually give out perfect attendance pins.

They were awarded to those folks who were in worship every Sunday for the whole year. They even connected to one another so you could just keep adding on to your perfect attendance steak year after year.

However, some people got upset because if you missed a Sunday for something like your vacation for sickness you were not award the perfect attendance pin. So exceptions began to be made. If you brought back a bulletin from the church you attended while on vacation they would count that your were in worship on that Sunday, and thus your streak would remain in tact.

A note from your doctor stating that you were too sick to attend church and exception would be made. Some people began to challenge the honesty of those on vacation. Maybe they just had someone else pick up the bulletin, or maybe they just ran by a church real quick and picked up a bulletin and did not stay for worship. Thus, is was now required for vacationers to get the signature of the pastor on their bulletin to prove they were in worship…of course, who was going to verify the signature of the pastor!?

The drive for perfect attendance may have been a good idea at the start, but soon it became all about us being able to boastfully accomplish the goal. I remember one old soul who was buried with his perfect attendance pins pinned to his chest. He had a long streak of many, many years. His pins ran down and chest and wrapped around his cold hands. I often wondered if God was impressed by his pins when he got to the pearly gates.

Worship is not about our ability to accomplish…it is about our opportunity to worship God. Our motivation for worship should not be a pin, certificate, or anything else that we could boast in, but our desire to be in the presence of God and to truly worship Him. He is worthy of all of our worship day in and day out…but especially at those times when the Body of Christ gathers.

See you in worship this Sunday.

This is my story…