Hello OCBC family. Christmas season is here and everywhere we go we can see lights, Christmas trees, nativities, and a lot of people in the malls looking for gifts. But we normally forget that this season is to reflect and remember the most precious gift for humankind: Jesus the Son of God.
Before Christmas Day arrives, we Christians, have a time of preparation, a time or expectation, a time called “Advent Season.” This is an ancient tradition that helps the souls of believers to remember that this little child of Bethlehem came to live, to die, to rise from death, to ascend to heaven, and will be coming back for us.
Last Sunday was the first Sunday of advent called “Hope” and we sang the old hymn by Charles Wesley called “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
Charles Wesley had eighteen Christmas songs, but he was never happy with simply painting the picture of the manger scene; with this hymn he begins by alluding to scriptural prophecies of Christ. In this hymn, Wesley is saying that Christ is not only the “desire of every nation”, but He is the “joy of every longing heart.”
This is a beautiful hymn for Advent that expresses deeply the two-fold purpose of the Advent season – we remember the birth of Christ, and fiercely desire His coming again.
Please, read and enjoy the lyrics once again.
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 His service. Israel
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