Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
This well known Advent hymn was written in 1744 by Charles Wesley. Charles was the younger brother of John, and next to the youngest of Susanna and Samuel Wesley’s 19 children. Wesley (1707-1788) an English hymn writer, poet, and preacher published over 5,500 hymns including And Can It Be That I Should I Gain? O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing and Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. All of them were written after his conversion in 1738.
This well known Advent hymn was written in 1744 by Charles Wesley. Charles was the younger brother of John, and next to the youngest of Susanna and Samuel Wesley’s 19 children. Wesley (1707-1788) an English hymn writer, poet, and preacher published over 5,500 hymns including And Can It Be That I Should I Gain? O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing and Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. All of them were written after his conversion in 1738.
Charles Wesley has been called "the Asaph of the Methodist Church" after Asaph, King David’s choir leader, who is named in Psalms 73-83.
The Israelites, God’s chosen people, lived in a kind of collective expectation. Wesley attempted to capture their feelings and ours in this familiar and beautiful Advent hymn. As I read the words of this hymn recently they refocused me and set my heart in tune with what this season is really about…anticipation and worship.
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.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Gail Seidel
Gail Seidel served as Mentor Advisor for Spiritual Formation in the Department of Spiritual Formation and Leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) and as an Adjunct Professor in the D Min in Spiritual Formation in the D Min Department at Dallas Theological Seminary. She has a BA in English from the University of Texas, a Masters in Christian Education from Dallas Seminary and a D Min in Spiritual Formation from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is a contributor to the textbook, Foundations of Spiritual Formation, Kregel Academic. She served as co-director for Christian Women in Partnership Russia with Entrust, an international church leadership-training mission. She and her husband Andy live in Fredericksburg, Texas. They have 2 married children and 6 wonderful grandchildren--Kami, Kourtney, Katie, Mallory, Grayson, and Avery.
One Comment
Robert
Hymn History
Thanks for some good comments about Charles Wesley–and for the hymn appropriate to the season. Wesley’s contribution to our hymnody is considerable, to say the least. If you’d like to learn a bit more, you can check out my hymn history blog for today, Wordwise Hymns.