Hymn Highlight: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
In celebration of this Advent season, I wanted to bring back some Hymn Highlights over the next few weeks.
Most readers will be familiar with the author of this hymn, Charles Wesley. Wesley (1707-1788) was one of the greatest hymn-writers of all time, and his songs have been used widely in numerous traditions over the last few centuries. Wesley and his brother John led the original “Oxford Methodist” movement alongside George Whitefield in the 1720s and 1730s. A prolific hymn-writer, Wesley composed around 6,500 hymns. His hymns are as broad in scope as they are in number. Some of Wesley’s most famous hymns are “And Can it Be That I Should Gain?”, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”
In addition to the above hymns, Wesley penned the famous Advent hymn, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” This hymn was published in 1744.
In the first verse, Wesley takes the point of view of an Israelite awaiting the coming Messiah:
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.
The Messiah was the hope of salvation for the Jews. The Christ would be the expected one, the one to bring freedom from fear and sin, to bring about eternal rest. This promised Messianic is realized in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Wesley beautifully refers to the Messiah as “Israel’s strength and consolation,” the “hope of all the earth,” the “desire of every nation,” and the “joy of every longing heart.” In Christ, Israel was to find its strength and comfort. There is no hope apart from Christ. Every citizen of every nation earnestly desires a life with Christ, whether they realize it or not. Christ satisfies every desire. And true joy–not always happiness–is found in finding yourself in the long-expected Messiah, Jesus. As Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” True joy, hope, comfort, strength, and satisfaction are found in Christ.
In the second verse, Wesley moves into the scene of the manger and the birth of Christ, then finishes by praying for the second coming of Christ:
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 along;
By thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
Advent is a season of reflecting on Christ’s first advent as recorded in the Gospels, and of expectant waiting for Christ’s second advent. We are in the midst of the “already-not yet” period, having experienced the kingdom but awaiting its consummation. This is perfectly summarized in Wesley’s familiar Christmas tune. Christ was born to deliver his people. His Incarnation was as a lowly man, a child born in a manger. He was truly man, but this child was a King. This King was not born in a palace or a holy place; rather he was brought into the world in a lowly manger in an ordinary town.
What then was the purpose of the Messiah’s long-awaited coming? He was born to reign in and among his people forever. His kingdom was not a temporary kingdom. Rather his Kingdom simply is. His kingdom is eternal–unchanging and unshakeable. The Incarnation of Jesus Christ brought the Kingdom to earth, yet we await to be “raised to [His] glorious throne.” When we are in Christ, we can glimpse the Kingdom and participate as His ambassadors in a foreign world. However, when He returns for His second coming, we will fully experience the King’s Kingdom in all its fullness.
We sing “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” fully knowing that Jesus has come, but we remain waiting for His second coming. The Light has come into the world, but we await the day when we will need no physical lights, for the glory of God will give us light, and the Lamb will be our lamp.
May this hymn bring you a fresh joy and hope during this Advent season, as we reflect on Christ’s birth and await his second coming.