We can learn a lot from the way King David prayed in Psalm 31.  In anguish and anxiety the challenge is ever there to, as Pastor Martin* used to say, ‘expect the best of Christ’.  Today in our sermon we will hear why this confidence is not misplaced. Within the broader context of Psalm 31, we will look through the lens of some very special letters of spiritual counsel that Pastor Martin wrote to people suffering from depression and melancholy.  Being Mother’s Day it’s quite apt: one in five women are likely to suffer depression in their lifetime and depression strikes women at greater rates than it does men (BeyondBlue, 2017).  And mother’s have husbands, children, parents, colleagues and friends who they may also be supporting through dark times.  Yes, Mother’s Day is a joyful day for many (although not all).  But the life people return to is not all ‘roses’.  So today, we want to hear of Christ’s embrace of and speaking into the pain of life as he fills us with his promises and objectively brings us joy.  As Luther said, ‘Expect the best of Christ’.    

*We sometimes forget that Dr Martin Luther was also Wittenberg’s pastor, hence ‘Pastor Martin’.