“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.”
It is only appropriate that our first hymn to be celebrated this Advent season is Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. This hymn, written in 1744 by Charles Wesley, is often found as the first hymn in the “Advent” section of a denomination’s hymnal or as the very first hymn in the entire hymnal, as was the case in the Presbyterian Hymnal of 1990. It is a beautifully written prayer/poem that uses repetition and imperative verbs to emphasize the important themes of the poem.
When written, the world was in a state of disarray, much as our world is now. There was poverty and there were marginalized members of society, but this hymn proclaims the universal beliefs that all people need what Christ provides: strength, peace, hope, consolation, and joy. In Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, Wesley is looking past the details of Christ’s birth, and looking forward to Christ’s future return. In writing the poem as he did, Charles Wesley offers us all the opportunity to relate the miracle of the return of Christ to our own lives.
Prayer: “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. Amen.”
Jessie Little