Come

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.

Here’s the link to the longer version: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus This is the first song the choir will be singing this Sunday in our annual Christmas concert, but we’ll be doing just the first and last verses (as above) and in a traditional style. I like the upbeat version, too, though the singer has simplified the tune a little. 
                Thinking about the words, however, the question of how long expected the long-expected Jesus was? Scripture tells us that even before the creation of the world, God’s plan was in place. God wasn’t expecting Jesus, Jesus already was. The first question must be, did God build expectation about Jesus? Here’s a link to a site that shares forty-four prophecies about Jesus that have been fulfilled. (Prophecies of Jesus Fulfilled)  Now, of course, some of those might not have been  understood to be prophecies by some at the time, but their lack of understanding (or ours) does not abrogate God’s purposes. 
               The important thing is that the very first prophecy about someone coming who would set us free was given in the third chapter of Genesis and, as astounding as it might seem, it was not given to Adam or Eve. It was given to the serpent in the hearing of Adam and Eve. We don’t know how long after the creation this event took place, but the point is that before Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden, and before they had any children, they knew that someday, one of their sons would defeat the serpent that had tricked them. Almost from the beginning, Jesus was expected.