Multiplication tables

 

Matthew 28: 1-10
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
April 5, 2026 – Easter

Screenshot of a global map and the countries where Habitat for Humanity has a presence. Currently Habitat works in more than 60 countries.

Three weeks ago, I was in the city of Antigua Guatemala or Old Guatemala. One afternoon as I was walking back to my hotel, looking down so as not to trip on the cobblestones and uneven sidewalks, I saw something shiny on my path. It was an American quarter. I picked it up, turned it over, and saw that it was a Delaware quarter, with Bombay Hook on the back.



I was in Guatemala because I accompanied my husband David who was on a Global Village trip with Habitat for Humanity, pouring concrete floors and digging latrines for families with no flooring and no indoor plumbing.



David has been volunteering with Habitat for more than 30 years. It was his good friends Bruce, Tom, and Burt who worked in construction and introduced him to volunteering with Habitat in the Dayton, OH area.



It’s no exaggeration to say that Habitat for Humanity owes much of its recognition and reputation to native Georgian and former president Jimmy Carter. President Carter and his wife Rosalynn began volunteering with the Georgia-based non-profit in 1984 and continued well into their nineties.



Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. By the age of 29, Millard was a millionaire. Though he and Linda lived comfortable, privileged lives, their marriage was on the brink of divorce. Through a chance meeting with farmer and Baptist theologian Clarence Jordan, the Fullers sold their share of their successful business, along with their 2 homes, cars, and boats, and gave their money to the poor. Together with Clarence they started an organization with the sole purpose of eliminating poverty housing from the face of the earth. Currently, Habitat has chapters in all 50 states and in over 60 countries worldwide.



The idea to eliminate poverty housing came from a rabbi, a Palestinian Jew from a small backwater town no one expected anything good to come from it, who said things like, “If you want to be complete, to be whole, sell your possessions, give the money to the poor, and come follow me.”



We wouldn’t have known he said such scandalous things if it had not been for Mary Magdalene and other women who attended his execution and proclaimed his resurrection and the men who believed them. Without the resurrection, we wouldn’t know about Jesus. Without the resurrection, there would’ve been no Jesus movement. Without the Jesus movement, there would’ve been no communities that broke bread and fed the poor at the Table and held everything in common, selling their possessions and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. Without the resurrection, we would not be standing in a cemetery on a cool rainy morning to hear a message of hope. Without the resurrection, there would be no message.



As I heard it said recently, Christ did not die, he multiplied. The message multiplied. The message that says, “Blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers.” The message that says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” The message that says, “You give them something to eat.” The message that says, “As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” The message that says, “You are the light of the world.” The message that says, "I will be with you always.”



The message that multiplies at this Table. This Table where the poor and the poor in spirit are fed. This Table where those who betray and desert Jesus are also fed. This Table where sins are forgiven and wounds are healed. This Table where we commune with Jesus’ death and bear witness to his resurrection. This Table where bread is broken, the cup is filled, and our hearts and lives are opened.



The message that multiplies when we listen to women and believe them. When we welcome every child, for to them belongs the kindom of God. When we put down our stones and drop our judgments. When we resist injustice and repair harm done. When we allow the truth to set us free and shatter the safe, sweet way we live. When we feed the hungry and satisfy the thirsty, when we welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. When we love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us. When we forgive, contribute from our abundance, go the second mile, disrupt our lives for others. When we love others as much as we love ourselves.



Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ is multiplied! Amen.

Benediction – enfleshed.com (adapted)


If we do believe that Love remains,
let us not grow weary in seeking its presence –
searching all the world for signs of life we might nurture together.
Through weeping and singing, protesting and praying,
we accompany the living Christ in one another.
We multiply the message.
In this way, we find the strength and courage
to carry on the witness of the faithful.
Rejoicing in the assurance of God with us, go in peace.