Amy and “You’re Blessed”

You're blessed when you've lost it all (Luke 6:20 MSG)

You are blessed when you have lost it all, so reads Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the first verse of the Beatitudes: Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20 NRSV)

I wonder if we believe that - truly believe that. Do you?

In Matthew Desmond's Evicted, we have just finished reading the harrowing and painful, joyous and exuberant stories of eight families who have literally lost it all ...at least from a material perspective.

Do you think they feel blessed? Do you see them as blessed?

Do you feel blessed when you have lost it all?

At the end of the book, Matthew Desmond reflects on the time he spent living with the families whose stories he tells. He writes: "I have been blessed by countless acts of generosity from the people I met...Each one reminds me how gracefully they refuse to be reduced to their hardships. Poverty has not prevailed against their deep humanity." (336)

The current eviction crisis is worse than it was in 2016 when Desmond's book came out. You can learn more about St. Francis' response to this current crisis at the next Co-Rectors' Forum on Sunday, September 5 at 11:15am in-person, after the 10:30am outside service. If there is interest in holding a virtual Q and A, please let Lesa know at lesa@stfrancismd.org. If you have questions that you would like addressed there, please reach out to Kristofer at revklp@stfrancismd.org or myself at revamy@stfrancismd.org.

Thank you for joining me in these past SSSs on Evicted. Your prayers and comments have opened my heart and stretched my faith in unforeseen ways. Peace!