Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus!

One of my favorite hymns we sing as a school in preparation for Christmas during the season of Advent is Charles Wesley’s 1744 classic, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus. With just two verses, Wesley captures both the desperate longing and the hopeful expectancy that define this season of watching and waiting.

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.

In these lines, Wesley reminds us that the deepest needs of the human heart—freedom, rest, hope, and joy—are not achieved through human effort or self-sufficiency, but given through the coming of Christ Himself. Advent trains us to slow down, to look beyond the hurried pace of December, and to remember what Israel longed for and what we, too, still await: the full arrival of Christ’s gracious kingdom. It echoes the insight of St. Augustine in his Confessions: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

As our students sing this hymn throughout the month, they join a centuries-long chorus of believers who have looked to Jesus as the One who frees His people and reigns with a gentle, eternal rule. May this season renew in us the same longing and the same hope, preparing our hearts to welcome the King who came as a child and who will come again in glory.

From the staff and faculty of Asbury Classical School, may your longing, restless heart find its rest and joy in Jesus this Christmas.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus!

Chris Breiland, Head of School