Come Thou Long Expected Jesus - Advent Song?
  • contemporaryworship92
    Posts: 259
    Most hymnals I've seen list Come Thou Long Expected Jesus as an Advent hymn, and I've encountered people using it as an Advent hymn many times. I am confused by this, as most of the song celebrates Jesus being born. This seems to be more like a Christmas hymn in reality. Perhaps you could frame this as waiting for the second coming, but I don't think the lyrics work for that either. Really the very first line "come, Thou long expected Jesus" is the only line that conveys any sense of waiting in hope for Jesus to come, with the immediately following "Born to set Thy people free."

    Here's the lyrics from Hymnary.org:
    1. 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.

    2. 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.


    I think that these issues could be addressed by edits along lines of:
    1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
    Come to set thy people free;
    From our fears and sins release us,
    Let us place our hope in thee.
    Israel's freedom, David's kingdom
    Come, Messiah to restore
    Dear des're of our captive nation
    Satisfy our longing hearts

    2. Come, thy people to deliver,
    Come, thou humble, suff'ring King,
    Come 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.


    Thoughts?
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    Advent/Christmastide are not a historical *reenactment* (ditto Holy & Easter weeks). They are memorial re-presentations of their mysteries. Advent/Christmastide have the mystery of the Incarnation and the three comings of Christ: in historical time, in and at the end of our individual lives, and at the consummation of all things at the end of mortal time. CTLEJ works perfectly for that, especially if the succinct melody of STUTTGART is used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_YA9GZB76I
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen cmb
  • trentonjconn
    Posts: 621
    Many Advent and Lenten hymns reference, either plainly or obliquely, the joys of the celebratory seasons to follow. There's nothing wrong with this.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • contemporaryworship92
    Posts: 259
    Many Advent and Lenten hymns reference, either plainly or obliquely, the joys of the celebratory seasons to follow. There's nothing wrong with this.


    Yes, but: don't at least the vast majority of these songs avoid or only obliquely mention the joy of the season to come? I think Come Thou Long Expected Jesus goes quite a bit further than other Advent songs. Is there a line somewhere? Can we just sing any Christmas carol during Advent?
  • trentonjconn
    Posts: 621
    Can we just sing any Christmas carol during Advent


    Absolutely not. Think also of, say, Savior of the Nations Come. It is undoubtedly an Advent hymn (as is the Office hymn Veni Redemptor Gentium on which it's based), but it has verses which mention specific things about Christ's birth. However, it deals with these things in an Adventy-way instead of a Christmassy-way. CtLEJ certainly proclaims WHY Christ was born, but I don't really read it as focusing specifically on joyfully proclaiming THAT Christ is born. Hymns like Adeste Fideles or Joy to the World focus specifically on proclaiming, with joy, Christ IS born, he IS come.
    Thanked by 2LauraKaz CHGiffen
  • RMSawicki
    Posts: 127
    I have lamented for years (and YEARS!) that Advent is the truly "neglected season" when it comes to hymnody.

    Apart from the fact that the entire corpus of English-language Advent hymnody is some of the most theologically deep, spiritually enriching, and, at times, even mystically captivating music one can experience in the liturgy, our typical U.S. parochial praxis of simply rotating "O Come O Come, Emanu-El", "On Jordan's Bank", and "Come Thou Almighty King" in a "Wheel of Hymns" for four Sundays misses the delightful fact that, by reading and employing the three-year Lectionary as a basis for one's choice of hymns, one could, by tapping the full Advent hymn resources, come up with three distinct plans (year A, B, and C) for the "four-hymn sandwich" WITHOUT duplication of any one hymn in particular!

    When I've taken time to open up the perspectives of friends and colleagues about the issue of Advent hymnody I am continually amazed at how much of a spirit of "I/we had no idea there was this much Advent music" rapidly reveals itself.

    I wish everyone, in advance, a musically rich upcoming Advent, from "Helmsley" at first Vespers of Advent I through "People Look East" at the afternoon Mass of Advent IV!

    Gaudete in Domino Semper!
    Thanked by 5Liam CHGiffen Caleferink LauraKaz Viola
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    In my parish where I grew up in the 1970s, "O Come Divine Messiah" was always the final hymn of Advent IV, played zestfully on the reeds and trumpets of the organ.
    Thanked by 2RMSawicki DavidOLGC
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,311
    As an aside, Veni Redemptor gentiun was used at both seasons in different ways. Dom Lentini does not respect that in the corpus which he created for the Liturgia Horarum.
  • RMSawicki
    Posts: 127
    "O Come Divine Messiah" for Advent IV!
    Bravo!

    Gaudete in Domino Semper!
    Thanked by 1Liam
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,092
    While I love OCDM with French baroque-style organ accompaniment, I also love this a cappella version:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxaow53EgZY
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 174
    Please, do not edit Wesley. I was compelled to do so when I worked for a Roman Catholic publishing house, and when I see those versions in print, all I can say is mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
    Thanked by 2Liam Anna_Bendiksen
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