Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

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 thine own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By thine all-sufficient merit,

Raise us to thy glorious throne.

Charles Wesley wrote this hymn, which was first printed in his Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord (1744). It largely flows out of Haggai 2:7 – ‘“I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord Almighty’ – but its mere two stanzas are packed tight with rich theology.

A lovely rendition of the carol by Marcy Priest along with a great video produced by The Skit Guys can be seen here – beautifully visualising how the biblical story leads up to the birth of Jesus.