It’s natural for us to want to become the “best version of ourselves.” It’s easy to think we are also responsible for defining what that “best version” is. But Jesus has already done that for us. There is nothing better we could pursue than for our lives to be a mirror image of the one who is the image of God. This week we see how Jesus’ preaching and teaching are iconic gospel witness we carry out. The message he proclaimed is the same he sends us to proclaim. The outrage he faced is the same he tells us to expect. And finally, the way God used that outrage as a catalyst for the further spread of the gospel is what we can trust God will do for us as well.

It’s natural for us to want to become the “best version of ourselves.” It’s easy to think we are also responsible for defining what that “best version” is. But Jesus has already done that for us. There is nothing better we could pursue than for our lives to be a mirror image of the one who is the image of God. This week we see how Jesus’ is iconic for how we understand who we are. Just as Jesus’ identity was confirmed and revealed at his baptism, so also God uses baptism in our lives to reveal and confirm our identity as his children. This anointing of the Holy Spirit through water and the Word gives us a certain source for a stable identity.