Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus
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.
PROLIFIC HYMNWRITER Charles Wesley penned eighteen Christmas songs, but he was never happy with simply painting the picture of the manger scene. In this hymn he begins by alluding to scriptural prophecies of Christ. Moving on to personal application, he continues: Christ is not only the “desire of every nation”; He is the “joy of every longing heart.”
Such personal application was a hallmark of the Wesleys’ ministry. Charles and his brother John challenged the staid Anglican traditions of their time. The church of their day had great scholarship; its theology was orthodox. Christians sang hymns straight from Scripture. But the Wesleys seemed to ask, “Does this mean anything to you? Is the biblical story about long-ago events or about what is going on in your life?” They urged people to meet Christ personally and to include Him in every part of their lives.
“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:20-21
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