5 Days Before Christmas

 

Charles Wesley wrote more than 6,000 hymns. In 1744 he wrote Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. His song has become one of the great Advent resources for the Church.

The first stanza proclaims the fact that the coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled Israel's desire for the Messiah. He is the "long-expected Jesus." He came to bring salvation to the entire world. Wesley described Christ as the "hope of all the earth" and the "dear desire of every nation." More than that, He is the "joy of every longing heart." He alone is the one who can satisfy every soul.

The second stanza declares: He was "born a child and yet a King." Wesley wrote about Jesus' "all sufficient merit." He refers to Christ's ability to bring us to salvation. "Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus" is a great song for Christmas, focusing on the "long-expected Jesus" who was born to set us free from sin and to bring us salvation by His death and resurrection.

1.
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.

2.
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.

 

Tempted to change the words a bit?  Charles Wesley's brother asked you to leave it alone. He admonished those inclined to mess with his brother's music.  In the preface to the 1779 Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People called Methodists, John Wesley wrote:

"I beg leave to mention a thought which has been long upon my mind, and which I should long ago have inserted in the public papers, had I not been unwilling to stir up a nest of hornets. Many gentlemen have done my brother and me (though without naming us) the honour to reprint many of our hymns. Now they are perfectly welcome to do so, provided they print them just as they are. But I desire they would not attempt to mend them, for they are really not able. None of them is able to mend either the sense or the verse. Therefore, I must beg of them these two favours: either to let them stand just as they are, to take things for better or worse, or to add the true reading in the margin, or at the bottom of the page, that we may no longer be accountable either for the nonsense or for the doggerel of other men."

This Advent we're inviting our friends to come and meet Messiah, "born a child and yet a King." Bring them Christmas eve and we'll celebrate the coming of the One who is the "joy of every longing heart."

John 4:28-30  -  Then the woman left her water jar and went back into the city. She told the people, “Come with me, and meet a man who told me everything I've ever done. Could he be the Messiah?” The people left the city and went to meet Jesus.

Comments

[Sarah Koutz]

One of my favorite Christmas songs. Charles Wesley was a very talented man.