Dear CLDI Family and Friends,
After Ash Wednesday, and as we’ve entered the season of Lent, I have been reflecting on the words written in Mathew, Mark, and Luke when Jesus begins to predict his death and share openly with his disciples. It has been written in all three Gospels how Jesus remarks on what will happen to him upon his arrival in Jerusalem. We know that Jesus will have his triumphant entry and his last Passover meal before his betrayal, trial, and ultimately his death. Despite knowing this, Jesus turned his face and began resolutely setting out towards Jerusalem.
So, what does it look like to be determined to turn toward Jesus in this season? To be of one mind and heart as we set out for our Jerusalem while also seeking Jesus. Thankfully, we know the end of the story; it didn’t end with Jesus’s death, but instead, it ended with his resurrection and new life, the Messiah having made a way to draw all people and all nations to himself!
Therefore, Lent is not about giving something up but instead making a space to focus on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection! During this season, my wife and I will daily go through a book of liturgies when I paused to reflect on one written by Henri Nouwen, so come alongside me and meditate on this with me.
Lent is a time of returning to God. It is a time to confess how we keep looking for joy, peace, and satisfaction in the many people and things surrounding us without really finding what we desire. Only God can give us what we want. So we must be reconciled with God … The season of Lent helps us in a special way to cry out for God’s mercy.
Henri Nouwen
Currently reading & listening.
Practicing the Way, by John Mark Comer, is a book about spiritual formation. What does it look like to become an apprentice under Jesus when He says, “Come follow me?” How do we look at being a disciple as an identity and then ask the question, what actions do I do as I follow Jesus? This book takes a look at the first Christian disciples and how they lived by a Rule of Life.
CLDI Monthly Snapshot
- We have received our Certificate of Occupancy for Tapestry! Tapestry residents are receiving leases and getting ready to move in!
- The CLDI team participated in Faith Chapel’s Partner Fair this past weekend. It was nice to chat with many folks who both did and didn’t know about CLDI.
- At the Hannah House, we had two residents get their driver’s licenses in the past month. This is a significant step towards independence, and we are so excited for them!
Scripture to Meditate On
As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Luke 9:51
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. They will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day, he will be raised from the dead.
Mathew 20: 17-19
It’s important to note that three of the Gospels reflect Jesus telling his disciples what would happen once they arrived in Jerusalem. There is no doubt that Jesus was sharing and preparing his followers about what was to come. Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen to him, yet steadfastly, he remained on the path to Jerusalem. What an incredible act of obedience and love for his people and for the Father.
Blessings,
Kaleb
