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We customarily relate to Jesus as servant and supplicant. But Jesus actually changed our relationship to that of a friend: |
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“You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.“ (John 15.14) |
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One would think that obedience would be more appropriate to a servant than to a friend. But when we approve of the Gospel, when we focus our love on Jesus, our obedience comes naturally. In suffering, too, we share the work of Jesus. Working toward a common goal, as a friend, we are authorized to take everything to Him in prayer. |
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What a friend we have in Jesus, |
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This piece is full of ornamentation. Just don’t rush anything; rather, make the rhythm wait on the ornaments. Play it slowly enough that rhythmic interest is suppressed beneath melody. Expressive observance of the fermatas in the first few measures will introduce you to the relaxed, friendly character in which the piece should be played. |
