It’s Christmas Time! What Is Your Hope? What Are You Waiting For?

Part 1–Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know

Expectation and Christmas are long-time friends. Tantalizing gifts under a sparkling tree, anticipated gatherings with loved ones, seasonal parties, and special menus that happen only in December add to the expectational cocktail that has become North American Christmas.

Taken in reasonable doses, this festive anticipation fuels a right theological response to Christmas, and “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” is a beautiful expression of what the coming of Jesus in human form means for those who believe in him as Savior. Penned by Charles Wesley in 1744 and then made popular by Charles Spurgeon over a hundred years later, it invites us to examine our source of hope and ask ourselves, “What are you waiting for?”

Take a long moment to read through the lyrics while you listen.

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 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.

“Come, Thou long expected Jesus/Born to set Thy people free…” How does he do it? “By Thine all sufficient merit!” What a gorgeous, theologically rich carol!

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Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

This is a busy season, and we drive ourselves to exhaustion, all in the name of celebration. Jesus came to set us free from slavery to our do-list and from chronic fear—not that frightful things will never happen to us on this broken ground. There’s no magic to this, but instead a promised rest, an assurance that when the worst happens, we will not disintegrate.

What fears are you bringing with you into December that you can leave right here—today—with Jesus? List them, and then hand them over. He wants to come under our burdens with us so we can rest and discover his strength and wisdom.

Verse 2 tells us the why of the incarnation, for, to be theologically accurate, even with the prominence of the word born, this carol is really an anthem to the incarnation more than a welcome song for Jesus’s birth. It does not invite Jesus to Bethlehem but instead invites Jesus to work in our lives as the Old Testament promised the long-awaited Messiah would indeed do.

Zechariah knew the promises, and his words show his recognition that God was on the move:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us…”

Luke 1:68-69

Why Can Jesus Do What He Came to Do?

Jesus came in fulfillment of a multitude of prophecies, mostly misunderstood by his contemporaries, but the carol gets it right: Jesus came to deliver his people, “to reign in us forever.” This all sounds like a tall order, but my favorite line in the carol gives us hope and confidence that he will deliver on his promises: “By thine all-sufficient merit…”

Jesus is a solid anchor for all our hopes because he earned the right to deliver us by taking on a body and then allowing that body to be wounded, punished, and destroyed in the place of sinners—every one of us as glory thieves who deserved the death sentence ourselves. His resurrection is God’s seal of approval upon his sacrifice, and by that merit, we are not only set free from fear and death, we are graced with the miracle of producing actual righteousness in real time—not as a product of rule-following, but as an overflow from our new hearts.

May this Christmas complete and fulfill the coming of Jesus into our own present experience. Born in Bethlehem long ago, he is now empowered to accomplish true redemption in every “longing heart.”

Holding You in the Light,

Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know—Part 1: “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” Born in Bethlehem long ago, Jesus is now empowered to accomplish true redemption in every “longing heart.”

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This is Part One of my Advent series for 2023: Carols I Want My Grandchildren to Know. We’re a singing family, and I love the traditional carols, so I’m grateful that our grandkids are growing up in homes where hymnals are used. Stay tuned for upcoming Sunday posts featuring theological musings on some of our most-loved Christmas carols.

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Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash