“This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17

Epiphany continues beyond Bethlehem. The child who was revealed to the nations now steps into public life. At the Jordan River, Christ stands among the people who have come seeking repentance and renewal.

Jesus does not enter the water because He needs purification. He enters freely, choosing to stand with those He has come to save. In this act, He reveals a God who does not remain distant from human life, but enters it fully.

As Jesus rises from the water, the Father speaks. This moment is not hidden. The voice is spoken aloud so that all who are present may hear and know who Jesus is. “This is my beloved Son.” The Father names Him before He teaches, before He heals, before He suffers.

This declaration is not a reward. It is a revelation. Christ’s mission begins in being loved, not in proving Himself. Identity comes before action. Belonging precedes obedience.

The Spirit descends, and what was quietly revealed in Bethlehem is now made public. The Son is manifested, the Father speaks, and the Spirit confirms. Epiphany here becomes fully Trinitarian.

This day of prayer invites us to reflect on where we receive our own identity. In Christ, we are not defined first by what we do, but by whom we belong to. The Father’s voice grounds all faithful response.

Today I ask for the grace to receive my identity from the Father and to rest in His love.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Beloved Son of the Father,
You entered the waters in humility
and were named by the Father in love.

Send forth Your Spirit into my heart,
that I may receive the truth
that my life is held by the Father
before it is measured by action or success.

Free me from striving for worth
and from fear of failure,
and root my life in the knowledge
that I am loved and claimed by God.

May all that I do flow from this gift,
and may my life give glory to the Father
through faithful obedience and trust.

Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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