Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth thou art;

Dear desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,

born a child and yet a King,

born to reign in us forever,

now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal spirit

rule in all our hearts alone;

by thine all sufficient merit,

raise us to thy glorious throne.

As we launch into Advent, Charles Wesley’s song can help teach about Israel’s long wait for their coming Messiah as it struggled under foreign occupation.

THE SONG’S STORY

Charles Wesley helped his more famous brother, John, start the Methodist movement. As a writer of more than 8,000 hymns, his songwriting played an important part in the movement’s birth.

Wesley published “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” in his Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord in 1744. The popular hymnal was reprinted 20 times during his lifetime.

One of the enduring strengths of this song is the fact that it doesn’t retell the nativity story. Instead, it focuses on a hunger that we can all identify with.

THE BIBLICAL CONNECTION

Wesley addresses a basic desire taught throughout the Old Testament. The first book of the Bible says:

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10, ESV).

The future king wouldn’t just be a ruler for Israel but a redeemer for the whole world. The Jews may not have understood this at the time, but Israel’s Messiah would meet a deep need people all over the world had.

The prophet, Isaiah, communicates this clearly:

“In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10).

“This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:26–27)

The carol doesn’t just describe a first-century human desire though. It tells of a current hunger people have in our world today for God’s rule to extend over our troubled world:

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9–10).

Our hope flourishes in Advent for we lift up our eyes to God and utter the words - Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.

In this season we would do well to remember to slow down from the Holiday frenzy. And to ask the Lord to lead us by his scepter, bring us into his resting place and teach us how to one again worship.

Fount of Heaven: Prayers of the Early Church Glory to Your Coming, Which Made Us Alive (A Christmas Prayer)

GLORY TO YOUR COMING, WHICH MADE US ALIVE (A Christmas prayer)

Blessed be the child who made Bethlehem glad on this day! And glory to your coming, which made us alive again.

Glory to the hidden gardener of our minds. His seed fell on our ground and made our minds rich.

Glory to the silence, who spoke by his voice. To the hidden one, whose son was made known. To the great one, whose son descended and was small. To the living one, whose son was made to die.

Glory to the son of the good one, whom the sons of the evil one rejected. To the son of the just one, whom the sons of wickedness crucified. And glory to the one who set us free, and was bound for us all.

Glory to him who gave the pledge, and redeemed it, too. To the beautiful one, who conformed us to his image. To him on high, who mixed his salt in our minds, and his leaven in our souls. Whose body became bread to bring our deadness alive.

Praise to the rich one, who paid for us all.

Glory to him who can never be measured. Our heart is too small, our mind too feeble. You make foolish our littleness by the riches of your wisdom.

Thanks be to him who sent his heir, that by him he might draw us to himself, and even make us heirs with him. Thanks be to the good one, the cause of all goods.

Blessed is the shepherd who became a lamb for our salvation. The branch who became the cup of our redemption. The architect who became our tower of safety.

Let us praise him whose wounds made us alive, and who took away the curse by his thorns. Praise him who put death to death by his dying, who went to sleep and chased our deep sleep away.

Glory to him who was baptized, and drowned our iniquity in the deep. Who choked the one that was choking us.

Blessed be the one who made in the womb a perfect temple, that he might dwell in it, a throne that he might be in it, a garment that he might be arrayed in it, and a weapon that he might conquer in it.

Blessed be him whom our mouth cannot adequately praise. His gift is too great for the skill of orators to tell. Praise him as we may, it is too little. And since it is useless to be silent and constrain ourselves, may our feebleness excuse whatever praise we can sing.

How gracious you are—you expect not more than our strength can give. Ocean of glory who needs not to have your glory sung, accept in your goodness this drop, amen.

—Ephraim the Syrian