Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus," was written by the prolific eighteenth-century hymn writer, Charles Wesley. Brother of John Wesley, the cofounder of Methodism, Charles wrote over 6,000 hymns, many of which we sing today (including "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing").

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" wonderfully epitomizes the thematic diversity of Advent. In this hymn, we put ourselves back into the place of the Israelites, hoping for God to send a king who would bring freedom, strength, and consolation. Yet, we also sing this song as people who know that Jesus was the promised Messiah, that he came to set us free from our sins, that he is the Desire of every nation, not just the Jewish people. Because we understand that his work on earth is not finished, we ask Jesus, "Now thy gracious kingdom bring." We hope for the time when Christ will return, establishing fully and finally the kingdom of God.

But "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" doesn't only express an ancient hope for the Messiah and a contemporary hope for the Messiah's second coming. This hymn rightly assumes that Jesus also comes today, in a sense. One day, he will come and bring the kingdom. Today, Jesus can begin to "reign in us for ever." One day, Jesus will "raise us to [his] glorious throne." Today, he can "rule in our hearts alone" through his "eternal Spirit."

Charles Wesley's hymn illustrates the Advent theme of a familiar portion of Matthew 6 that we include in The Lord's Prayer. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father, "[Y]our kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (6:10). We ask for the coming of God's kingdom in the future. Yet, we also ask that God's will be done on earth as in heaven...right now.

In Advent, we long for the second coming of Christ and for the fullness of the kingdom. Yet, in our yearning we also open our hearts to him, inviting him to fill us and use us through the power of his Spirit. Thus, as we pray, "Come, Thou long expected Jesus," are are asking him to come into our hearts afresh, to rule over us today so that we might serve him in everything we do.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: In what ways do you need the power of the kingdom of God today? Are you ready to ask the Lord to come and rule over your life?

PRAYER:

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 for ever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring:
By Thy own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone,
By Thy all-sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Amen.

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" by Charles Wesley, 1745.