Charles Wesley was saved in 1738 and wrote his first hymn that very day.  In the seven years that followed, he wrote 18 Christmas hymns which were published in 1745 as Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord.  You can find the lyrics to these hymns here.  The most familiar of them is Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.   Unlike many of Charles Wesley’s long hymns, this one is only two stanzas.  Interestingly though, the hymn that follows in this collection has the same metre, and I have to wonder if there is some relation.  Speculation aside, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus is a hymn expressing Israel’s hope of the coming Messiah, and our hope in his return.  Christ is further proclaimed as our King who should rule our hearts, and our Savior in whose merit we find salvation.  For further thoughts on the theology of this hymn, see an article by Probe Ministries here.  For the music, listen to the music video at the beginning of this post. 

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free,
From our fears and sins relieve 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 for ever,
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.