Worship

Who are you longing for? In 1744, England was going through a season of deep social distress. One man, already a committed follower of Christ and a prolific hymnwriter, walked through the streets of London and what he saw broke his heart. Orphaned and abandoned children. Crushing poverty that no one could climb out of on their own. Families unable to afford food or heat for themselves. Hopelessness, fear, and spiritual weariness was everywhere. England was in a tense political season in Parliament. The church was in a season of preserving the buildings more than the spiritual health of the people. This man was heartbroken. As he prayed over the suffering he witnessed, one thought kept rising in his heart: “Only Jesus can bring true freedom, justice, and hope. At the same time, this man was reading two Scriptures. One of them, was our text today: “The desire of all nations shall come.” The second was Luke 2:25, which speaks of Simeon,  “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” These verses stirred something inside him: the world is longing for a Savior, and the believer’s are waiting for Jesus to come again. The man realized that the same Jesus Israel longed for is the One the poor and suffering of England were still longing for. So, moved by Scripture and compassion, the man Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley and one of the founders of the Methodist movement, wrote a prayer-song: “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free…” It was a cry for renewal and remembering the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and also a longing for His second coming when He will set all things right. Although Wesley wrote the hymn in 1744, it did not become widely sung until decades later. Around the 1800s, the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon read the hymn and loved it so much he used its lines in one of his Christmas sermons. After that, churches in both England and America began adopting it for Advent. What was true then is the truth today. The hymn became a staple because it captured two simple truths that I want to talk about today:Jesus is the fulfillment of the hope we long for, and as believers we long for His leadership.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the hope we long for: “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the Desire of All Nations shall come, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.”- Haggai‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-7. In this short but important book, the prophet Haggi is adressing broken expectations. After 66 years, the Temple, commemorated by King Solomon, but destroyed under King Hezekiah , has been rebuilt, but the people are upset that the temple is no where near as impressive as the effort put in by King Solomon for the first Temple. They expected more! If we are honest with ourselves, we sometimes have dashed expectations to don ‘t we? A lot of times, we tend to rank Jesus as our consolation prize. If the job didn’t work out, if circumstances are bleak, if people are ugly to one one another, if an event didn’t turn out like we wanted, if we don’t get our way, we say “Well, at least God is still on the throne.”Friends, while that is all true, the promise of Advent is so much more! Biblically, Jesus is not a consolation prize, or comes in second.Christ is the fulfillment of all we long for! We no longer have to live in regret, or live in constant disappointing of life not working out like we thought. Consider how the Biblical authors approach God in Christ.Thanks be to God that in Christ, we no longer have to live in regret, or live in constant disappointing of life not working out like we thought. In Christ, we can find fulfillment of all we long for! The Psalmist writes that “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, my God.”-Psalms‬ ‭42‬:‭1‬. In John 4, the Samaritan woman, after a long conversation with Jesus, including dashed expectations and a life of regret, shows the heart behind all that she wants in life: “The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”-John‬ ‭4‬:‭25‬-‭26‬. Later in John 6, we hear Jesus say “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”-John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬. Far from second place, when you encounter Jesus in the Bible, and in life, you encounter a winner!

One of the things I long for in the Christian year is Christmas Eve. If you need a pick me up, I invite you to come to that Christmas Eve service at 6:00pm in the sanctuary. There are several reasons why I long for Christmas Eve worship that I want to share with you.I love Christmas Eve services because of the singing. I consider singing Christmas Hymns one of the purest forms of worship singing. I love Charles Wesley’s “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” “Light and life to all he brings” may not make a Hallmark Christmas card, but I long for Christmas Eve for the opportunity to sing this line as a church. There is something special about seeing families come together at Christmas Eve worship. It has been an absolute joy meeting many of your family, if only for a short time, during Christmas Eve worship. I also long for the scriptures on Christmas Eve worship. “The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us” is not just a nice Holiday thought, it is how God showed His love for us! God did not just say He loved us, He showed it in the birth of His Son Jesus. These reflections and longings I have all have one thing in common, for the celebration of the coming birth of Christ! The large crowds at Christmas Eve will attest, many of us relate to those longings.

As believers, we long for Christ’s leadership at Christmas time: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”-Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ . The Prophet Isaiah is encouraging the Israeli exiles in Babylon, but he is also prophesying about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Friends, this is a wonderful passage read every year that is closer to my heart each day. When I think of Christmas, I don’t just want gifts, see families come together, I want to see Jesus take charge in my life. The New Testament writers seem to agree with this. The Greek word describing Jesus as Lord appears far more in the Bible than the description of Jesus as Savior.

On Christmas Day in 1863, the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow sat alone in his house, and felt like no one was in charge. Two years earlier, his wife had died tragically in a fire, and now his oldest son, Charles, had been severely wounded fighting in the Civil War. His world felt dark, and his home felt empty. Christmas felt like a cruel reminder of all Longfellow had lost. But that Christmas morning, as Longfellow sat in his grief, the church bells of Cambridge, Massachusetts, began to ring. Their sound was infectious—clear, bright, full of hope. Longfellow wrestled with what he saw around him. War. Pain. Division. His own heartbreak. It felt like the world was falling apart. He wrote honestly: “There is no peace on earth… for hate is strong.” Yet, as the bells continued to declare there is peace on earth and good will to men, and as he listened , Longfellow felt a truth breaking through his despair. In spite of all that happened, God is In charge of his life in spite of the death that was happening around him. So he finished his poem “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” with hope: “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.” In spite of all that happened, Henry had moments of pain, but also believed Christ is still in charge of His life. That is the kind of authority and leadership we long for at Christmas.

Who are you longing for? Jesus is the hope our hearts have always longed for. In a world weary with confusion, fear, and uncertainty, He steps in as the One who brings true peace and lasting joy. His presence reminds us that hope is not a wishful Holiday thought but a living Person who leads us with wisdom, compassion, and authority. When we surrender to His lordship, we find the guidance our souls crave and the strength our lives require. This Christmas, may we look to Jesus—not only as our Savior—but as our faithful Leader, the One who lights our path and fulfills our deepest longing. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.