Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Written by Charles Wesley in 1744, and appearing in at least 745 hymnals, the classic hymn ‘Come Thou Long Expected Jesus’ is my favorite hymn to usher in the Advent Season each December. While there have been other verses added at times, the original verses are:
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 ev’ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us for ever,
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.
I’ve always thought that this song captures so very well the whole point of Christmas. While we’re not specifically commanded to take an entire month to celebrate the incarnation of Christ, it’s fully appropriate to do so. The central message of the gospel (based on 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) is “Christ died for our sins on the cross and rose again three days later proving His victory over sin and death.” The incarnation is, in a sense, the start of the earthly aspect of Christ’s work for sinners.
Both verses of this song open with a reminder of Matthew 1:21 – …He will save His people from their sins. We can never forget that in the very first declaration of the coming of the Messiah, made by an angel to Joseph, culminated in this awesome declaration. It’s fitting that, as we turn our thoughts to the birth of our Savior each year, we remind ourselves that Jesus came to save His people from their sins. He came to save you. He came to save me. And no matter what the rest of this month holds for you, that is enough to have great joy all month long.
The long awaited MESSIAH HAS COME!! We have the great joy and privilege of seeing it from this point in history. The full message of the gospel has always been a reality for us. While we’ll never understand the long wait the people of Israel faced, we can consider it each December as we look toward the 25th beginning even now. It’s good to anticipate that day. Even though our children look forward to Christmas Day for very different reasons, the anticipation is a great reminder of the joy and anticipation of the coming of the King.
As you continue through this season, meditate on Christ. Look to the coming of the One who came to set YOU free! The One who sets you free! The One in whom you find confidence. The One in whom you can find rest.
Jesus truly is the only hope anyone has. Our tendency is to look to everything but Christ for hope. Whether to our clever retirement plan, the things we’ve built here on earth, our families, even the hope of things getting better on January 20. But truly, our only hope is in what happened long ago when a King was born a Child.
Do all you can so that Jesus reigns on the throne of your heart and be purposeful as you move through this Advent season, heading toward the 25th, when we celebrate the coming of Our Glorious Savior and King - Jesus Christ.
NOW - go back and slowly, contemplatively read the lyrics of the song, put it on your playlist for the whole month (or at least listen to it a several times) and remember the good news of great joy that is the real reason for all the activity and “stuff” this month.
Grace & Peace!
Pastor Rob