Charles Wesley wrote the Christmas hymn “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” in 1744.
He based the text out of Haggai 2:7:
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 2:7 (KJV)
And from that text “weaved this prayer” into the hymn:
“Born Your people to deliver, while born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now Your gracious kingdom bring.
By Your own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone; by Your all sufficient merit, raise us to Your glorious throne. Amen.
David Baker in Christianity Today
He used the hymn to express excitement about Jesus’ birth, while also pointing toward His second coming.
What does the Wesley hymn mean?
The carol is only two stanzas long. Here it is:
| 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. |
As an evangelist, Wesley understood Jesus’ birth meant good news to people who had lost hope.
By the time of Jesus’ birth, it had been 400 years since a prophet had come to Israel. The Romans controlled Jerusalem and the country. By that time, the idea of a Messiah probably seemed far-fetched.
So, the Christmas carol told the important truths about Jesus, but also about the people He came to redeem: the citizens of Israel, yes, but also us.
The hymn, known as a Festival hymn, became well known after Charles Spurgeon mentioned it.
Spurgeon made a Christmas sermon in London in 1855 when he was 21 and included sections of “Come thou long expected Jesus” in it. He did this to illustrate his point that very few are “born king” and that Jesus was the only one who had been born king without being a prince.
Godtube
What does the carol say about Jesus?
You can write it in a list:
He was:
- Born to set the people free from fears and sins
- Providing rest to their souls
- The nation’s strength and consolation.
- The hope of all heaven and every nation.
- Able to provide joy to every longing heart
- Born a child, yet He was a king.
- Also born to reign forever.
- Born to bring His kingdom to earth.
- Eternal, ruler, meritorious.
- Able to raise us to His throne in Heaven.
Jesus sounds worthy of praise to me!
Like so many of Wesley’s texts, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” alludes to one or more Scripture passages in virtually every phrase. The double nature of Advent is reflected in this text, in which we remember Christ’s first coming even while praying for his return.
Hymnary.org
Did Wesley write the music?
No.
It started as a poem and was set to music later.
It did not appear in the Wesleyan hymnbook until after 1875.
That year, it was paired with a Welsh tune and became singable.
According to Eunice Wernecke in her book Christmas Songs and Their Stories, Hyfrydol was:
composed in 1855 by Rowland Prichard (1811-1887), of Bala, Wales, who was a song leader, soloist, and composer. . . . The tune’s marked characteristic is the simplicity of its melody. . . . Being a happy tune and at the same time firm and smooth, it is an appropriate setting for this exhilarating hymn.”
(It’s worth mentioning Hyfrydol is also the tune used for Wesley’s “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.”)
Who was Charles Wesley?
Charles Wesley and his brother John were the founders of the English Methodist movement. They were the sons of a clergyman of the Church of England, and they attended Oxford University.
While there, the brothers formed a “Holy Club” with friend George Whitefield. The group took exception to various behaviors in the Church of England. Because of their methodical personal religious habits, they became known as “Methodists.”
Both John and Charles became clergymen. Charles followed his brother to America in 1735 and spent a year in Georgia with him and Whitefield during the Great Awakening.
Charles returned to England, continued preaching, married a Welsh woman, and wrote some 6500 hymns during his 80 years of life (1707-1788).
(Wikimedia Commons)
Devoted to Scripture, Wesley recognized the value of using the Bible in his many hymns. His themes generally focused on the love of God.
You probably know more of his hymns than you realize!
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