Wearing your best to church

I have a pastor friend who posts a daily question on Facebook that he has people comment on and then he likes to give a Biblical summary.  We agree on almost everything, and I have a great deal of respect for him.  A few days ago in his summary, he said that he felt that you need to wear your best to church because it is a sign that you are giving your best to God.  Twenty years ago, I would have agreed 100%; that was the way I was raised. I still always wear a jacket and tie to church myself, but a friend of mine gave me his testimony and it gave me a lot to think about. 

His testimony goes something like this.  When he was a young boy, he never went to church, in fact, most weekends his parents were sleeping off the alcohol from the night before.  One Sunday morning when he was 5 or 6, they had been doing some utility work in the neighborhood.  There was a huge pile of dirt there.  On the Sunday morning, my friend and another kid were out just playing in the dirt.  They were both with out a shirt no shoes and just covered in dirt.  It was a warm Texas spring morning they had been playing a little while.  Therefore, they were sweaty and the muddy dirt was all over them.  An older lady was on her way to church and saw the boys out there play and stopped to ask them why thy were not getting ready for church and they said they had never been to church.  She asked them to go to church with her and if they did, she would make sure they got donuts before church and a coke afterwards.  Of course, both boys agreed.  She has them get in the back of her car dirt, mud and all, no shirt or shoes.  She gets them to church she cleans there hands and faces and gives them the donuts and takes them to a Sunday School class and then takes them to church.  Then after service, the church had a coke machine in the basement and she buys them both a coke.  They had a great time and she tells them that if they meet her at that Conner next week she will take them to church.  They both agree and they go with her to church for a couple of years.  In that time, my friend became a Christian.

My jaw dropped at the story. I could not believe that my friend went to church with out a shirt and that he was not kicked out.  I will be honest I do not think I have ever been a member at a church that would have allowed the boys in the church door with out a shirt.  When my friend told me this story I had smart off about wearing something nice to church and was offended and point blank asked me why because God did not care what we were as long as we were there.  Then he told me his testimony.  I was greatly convicted about my thoughts on this manor.