The Songs of Christmas — Week 1

The carol Come Thou Long Expected Jesus , penned by Charles Wesley in 1744 from Haggai 2:7, opens this Advent series by asking a single question: why was Jesus born? Its first line answers plainly— born to set thy people free . This message traces sin as missing the mark God intends, the bondage and fear it brings, and the deliverance promised from Genesis 3:15 forward through Abraham, David, and the long Jewish wait fulfilled in the manger. Simeon, who held the promised Messiah, frames the hope that endured four hundred silent years. The teaching presses past taking Jesus only as Savior to receiving him as Lord—letting him "rule in our hearts alone"—and warns believers against reverting to the slavery Christ already broke.