1000 Songs/Come thou long-expected Jesus (Charles Wesley)
Come thou long-expected Jesus (Wesley)
Text edit
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.
Author edit
The hymn was written by Charles Wesley in 1744.
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Background edit
The text was based on the desire for the second coming of Christ. This is darker subject matterfor a hymn due to the focus on sin and our desperate need for freedom. He wrote the text in the context of slavery. When he was in his early thirties, Wesley traveled to America on a mission. While there, he experienced a white parent buy their child a slave to torment. This left a heavy impression on him and inspired texts based on freedom.