A daughter calls home, talks to her parents about the great disappointment in her life, how she feels. She talks about what she can do now. They talk about all this. At the end the parents say, "We wish we could do something." She says, "You have done a lot just being there. I can feel your love. It helps. Thanks for being there."

I think it must have been like that when Jesus prayed to God in those critical moments in his life. His identity was confirmed, "You are my Son." He was assured that he is loved, "You are my beloved." He was assured that God would always be with him. The Holy Spirit empowered him and led him.

How close that is to any parent reaching out to an adult child, saying,"We love you. We are proud of you." We've heard that, some of us. Many of us have never heard it, and we probably never will from our parents. For any number of reasons we won't hear that. But Luke wants you to know that because of Jesus Christ, you can hear that from God, your Heavenly Father. Just as Jesus, at critical times in his life, went apart to hear those words again, so at critical moments in our lives, when we need to be reminded of who we are, when we need to have renewed direction and purpose and power in our lives, there will be epiphanies. When once again you will hear,"You are my daughter," or "You are my son."