Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus - Wk 1
December 2, 2024

Songs of Christmas

Week one - Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Isaiah 40:1-5 and Luke 2:25-32

Bottom line: We can build a better playlist for our lives and for our faith, starting with an expectation of Jesus showing up.


We can build a better playlist for our lives, for our faith, starting with Christmas - this is the beginning of the story (Advent)…

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” —Isaiah 40:1-5

God promised His people that comfort was coming - flat ground, i.e. no sudden rises, no drastic falls, the Lord would make it so

Simeon built his life and his playlist around that promise.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. —Luke 2:25

Consolation = comfort
Simeon knew this prophecy from Isaiah

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” —Luke 2:26-32

You tend to find whatever it is you’re looking for - for good or for evil
If you’re looking for reasons to be pessimistic - you’ll find them
If you’re looking for hope - you’ll likely find that too

Which brings me to our first song of Christmas…

“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
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.

Rest, strength, consolation, hope, joy - I put these on my Christmas list this year, and now I’m looking for them everywhere I go.

We can build a better playlist for our lives and for our faith, starting with an expectation of Jesus showing up.