COME, THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS

In the Bible, Haggai records that the Lord Almighty said, “I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come...”. Inspired by these prophetic words and the words of a prayer published at that time, Charles Wesley wrote the text for this Christmas Carol in 1744. COME THOU LONG EXPTECTED JESUS, describes how Jesus was born a child that first Christmas...yet He was also born a King...as the wise men knew and began searching for.

Wesley’s intent was for people to remember and commemorate the birth of Jesus during Advent, while at the same time being prepared for His second coming. This was the first of a number of Wesley’s hymns that became known as the Festival Hymns. It was initially published in 1745 as part of a collection entitled, “Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord.”

The hymn was popularized across Christian denominations after the respected preacher, Charles Spurgeon included sections of the hymn when he prepared a message at the age of 21. His sermon’s main point was that very few are ‘born’ a King without first being a prince. In fact, Jesus was probably the only one declared a King at birth. He was the expected One, the Saviour of the world, whose birth had been anticipated by many for centuries!