We can all come up with reasons for not attending church services: weather, distance, family functions, work, fatigue, illness, classes. But do we have reasons for attending? Is attendance at church merely a habit? Might it be that we should attend because we're new in town and looking for friends and companionship? Or seeking a date or business contact?
Why attend church at all? A psalm says, "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works." Ps. 9:1. "Shew forth" translates elsewhere as "tell of," but need the telling be in words alone? One can praise God through daily living of His qualities, through worship and singing hymns, through church committee work, and through public and private acknowledgment of His power.
With public expressions of praise and gratitude at a Wednesday evening testimony meeting, we put a capstone on our healing by proclaiming God's omnipotence. As Mrs. Eddy tells us in the Manual of The Mother Church: "Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, 'who healeth all thy diseases' (Psalm 103:3)." Man., Art. VIII, Sect. 24.
