Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Lord's Day Exhortation
The word “Advent” means “coming,” and so in church tradition, it is a season of anticipation, as we both remember our Lord’s first coming and wait with hope for His final coming at the end of the age.
Therefore, the predominant theme permeating all Advent hymns is the desire for the Lord Jesus to come, as in the Wesleyan hymn, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.
It’s important to understand that this longing for the Lord is not meant to be an empty or quaint religious expression. Rather, it is vital. The world was once dark… and then the Light shone. And although the Light continues to shine, there are still many corners in this world and in our own hearts that are dim.
Therefore, the cry must continue, as this longing for the Lord to come really is a desperate desire for His saving presence now. It is a cry for the Savior of the nations to enter into our sin-soaked world and to deliver us from our shame and misery.
This means that our longing for the Lord’s coming shouldn’t be confined to tidy church calendars and liturgical seasons, as useful as they are. Instead, it should be one of our foundational prayers throughout the year and in all circumstances. Our most fundamental need is for the Lord Jesus to come. In every trial, in every temptation, in every moment of suffering or failure – we need to earnestly turn to the Lord, asking Him to break into our lives again and again.
So make this longing your earnest prayer. Make this the humble posture of your heart in this Advent season and throughout this next year:
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.
This exhortation was given on December 14, AD 2025, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.