Today, many people are experiencing an identity crisis. Many of the labels and categories that have traditionally supported our identities no longer serve us well. People are searching for something solid, something real, something in which to be rooted.

Ephesians chapter one is all about identity “in the Messiah.” Paul uses that phrase eleven times in as many verses. But what does it mean?

It means being joined with God through baptism into the life of Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit. But it also means being joined to the diverse family of God. And it doesn’t mean the erasure of our particular and unique identities, our God-given and beautiful diversity.