When creativity is harnessed to a worthwhile goal, the sky's the limit. It is not only permissible but required that all who follow Jesus be extravagant in making the very best use of the resources available to them in serving God. T his teaching of Jesus contradicts much that has been taught about Christianity over the centuries. Even in our own time there is a kind of piety based on what might be called dinky-ism. The dinkier it is, the more Christian it is bound to be.
Many people believe that dinky-ness is next to godliness.
G arrison Keillor tells about growing up in a home filled with Christian devotion. He says that one of the cardinal rules of being a Christian was that you always bought the cheapest brand. Whenever you ate in a restaurant, you always ordered the cheapest thing on the menu. The same thing applied to church, he says. The small congregation to which he and his family belonged did not go in for pricey things like churches with high vaulted ceilings, fancy vestments, and more candles around the altar than at a birthday party for an octogenarian.