Words of Reflection
Yes, you read that correctly. Today’s song is “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Why a Christmas hymn in the middle of holy week? It has to do with the teaching Jesus offers after arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover, a passage we traditionally refer to as the “Olivet Discourse.” It’s understood to have been preached on the Tuesday of Holy Week from the Mount of Olives.
The Olivet Discourse is not an easy teaching by any means, which is consistent with the mood of the week. It begins with a question from the disciples in response to Jesus’ declaration that one day the temple itself will be razed to the ground:
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”—Matthew 24:3 (NIV)
The teaching that follows in Matthew 24 and 25, and the picture of the end times that Jesus paints, have been debated by theologians time and again, and will be until the words in those passages come to pass. It isn’t fruitful, especially during Holy Week, to get too distracted by the desire to “figure it out.” What is helpful is to draw from it some simple, yet important, spiritual truths and principles:
Jesus will return.
Nobody knows when Jesus will return except God himself.
The days leading up to his return will be fraught with chaos, in both the spiritual and natural realms.
His return will bring a revelation of each person’s soul.
The people of God, while they wait for his return, should be wise and expectant.
Jesus thought it important to share this teaching with his disciples in the days leading up to his crucifixion, so it makes sense for us to ponder it as well as we journey through Holy Week.
But why a Christmas hymn?
“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” is indeed a song for the Christmas season, but, like so many of our reflections on the coming of Jesus at the nativity, it also points us to his second coming. The language of the hymn is filled with wonderful and significant kingdom language for us to ponder as Easter approaches. This particular carol reminds us that Jesus is:
—The one who has come to set us free from fear and sin
—Our deliverer and desire
—Our strength, consolation, hope, and joy
—The one who rules in our hearts
—The King who brings in his gracious kingdom
—The one who will one day raise us to his glorious throne
As we look ahead to the cross outside Jerusalem, we are also invited to look back to where it all began: a stable in Bethlehem. And we also look up, knowing that the day is coming when God’s Kingdom will come in all of its fullness and glory. Until that day we heed the words of Christ to be diligent and good stewards of our time and kingdom resources, and also his call to “keep watch.”
Come, thou long expected One.
Scripture for Meditation:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.”
—Revelation 21:1-5a (NRSV)
Song: 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 heartBorn 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
Charles Wesley | Rowland Hugh Prichard
© Words: Public Domain; Music: Public Domain
Here are a few different versions of the carol for you, depending on your musical mood today:
A LILTING CELTIC VERSION:
A QUiET PEACEFUL VERSiON:
AN UPBEAT WORSHIP VERSION (WITH A NEW CHORUS):
A CAPPELLA VOCAL WITH CHOIR:
Questions for Contemplation:
How does looking back on the nativity impact your reflections during Holy Week? Spend some time sitting with the wonder of the incarnation, knowing that the baby in the manger is now the man on the cross, offering his life for you.
From what “fears and sins” do you most need to be released? Spend some time with God being honest about them, and find rest in the one who is the “hope of all the earth.”
Which of these descriptions of Jesus from the hymn speaks most to you today? Why?
—The one who has come to set us free from fear and sin
—Our deliverer and desire
—Our strength, consolation, hope, and joy
—The one who rules in our hearts
—The King who brings in his gracious kingdom
—The one who will one day raise us to his glorious throne