A Song of Hope for Advent

Advent is a season of waiting that begins four Sundays before Christmas. The word Advent means “coming,” and faithful Christians reflect on the mystery of our Lord’s first coming and anticipate his glorious return. Christ has come, and Christ will come again. These gospel truths animate our worship and orient our lives during Advent and throughout the year.

Our prayer letters during this Advent season will reflect on beloved Christmas carols that beautifully and memorably express the hope, peace, joy, and love that we experience through our Lord Jesus, who has come and who will come again.

Many Christmas hymns emphasize the hope of God’s people. One of my favorites is Charles Wesley’s classic, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” written in 1744. Line after line of verse 1 is laced with hope:

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.

Long expected. Hope of all the earth. Dear desire of every nation. Every longing heart. These lines remind us that Christian hope is not a wish for better circumstances—sunny skies, improved health, political change, or a winning season for our hometown team (which seems particularly far off for those of us in Minnesota). Wesley’s hymn anchors our hopes on the proper object: “thou long expected Jesus.” Christ’s coming brings true freedom—“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Christ releases us from our sins and fears—he took on flesh and blood to defeat the devil and “deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:14–15). Christ is also “Israel’s strength and consolation.” Luke 2:25–28 vividly illustrates this point. We read of old Simeon, who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” like the faithful saints of every generation. This devout saint had waited many long years for God to comfort his people, and now his faith becomes sight. Simeon sees salvation in-the-flesh; he holds the hoped-for Messiah in his wrinkled hands.

Verse 2 focuses our hope on Christ’s enduring kingdom:

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.

Christ is born a King. He comes to reign. His is a gracious kingdom. We welcome Christ’s rule and long to appear before his throne of glory. These lines capture the “already” and the “not yet” dimensions of Christ’s kingdom. Wise men arrive in Jerusalem seeking to worship the one “born king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2). Herod the king recognizes a threat to his reign and tries to eliminate this rival through murderous tyranny. Christ is revered by some, reviled by others, and ignored by most. Our Lord confessed before the Roman governor, “My kingdom is not of this world,” before “the King of the Jews” was nailed to a tree (John 18:36; 19:19). Yet Christ rose on the third day and ascended to heaven’s throne, and his kingdom will have no end. So we pray with the faithful of every generation, “Come, Lord Jesus!” And while we hope expectantly for our coming King to usher in the fullness of his gracious kingdom, we ask him to rule over our hearts and lives. Come, thou long expected Jesus!

Brian J. Tabb

President

Prayer Requests: