When Christian friends meet

My Christian friendships should look like this. I should

pour out my sadness to the one who is close to me and ask him for comfort. What that person then gives and promises to me as regards comfort is to be affirmed by God in heaven as well. On the other hand, I should also comfort and and say to another person: dear friend, dear brother, why do you not let go of your affliction? It is certainly not God's will that you experience a single bit of suffering. god allowed his Son to die for you, so that you need not mourn but that you can be joyful. Therefore be of good courage and be comforted; you will do a service and that which is pleasing to God, and you ought to kneel down with one another and pray the Lord's Prayer, which is certainly heard in heaven, for God promises: "I am in your midst" [Matt. 18:20]. He does not say: "I will see it. I will hear it," or "I will come to you," but "I am there already."

(Martin Luther, Matt 18-24 interpreted in sermons; 1537-40, cited in pp. 277f, Oswald Bayer, Martin Luther's Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation).

I.e. Christian friendship should involve:

• Openness in discussing sins, worries and sadnesses;
• Application of the Gospel to comfort, encourage, and bring joy;
• Corporate prayer.

I have friendships with Christians where I'm pretty bad on one or all of those. But Luther is not listing requirements for gritty and serious Christians to put their backs into their Christian growth. Instead, it is a wonderful encouragement that Christ stands behind our words of consolation guaranteeing their truth, and that he stands with us when we pray so that we can have confidence of an answer.