A Story on the Christmas Hymn, “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,” by William Petersen

Although prolific hymnwriter Charles Wesley penned eighteen Christmas songs, he was never content with simply painting the picture of the manger scene. He needed to go deeper. 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.” He is not only the child born with the “government.... on his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6); he is also “born to reign in us forever.”

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 asked, “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—even their hymn singing.

Scriptures: Daniel 7:13-14; Haggai 2:7; Luke 1:32-35
Themes: Birth of Christ, Prophecy, Hope

Lyrics of the Hymn:
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.
Thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

By CHARLES WESLEY (1707–1788)

Reference for the Hymn:
Petersen, William. The Complete Book of Hymns (pp. 212-213). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.