This is a reprint from an article published in Worship Leader
Jon Seccombe is a musician and Christian composer who has been writing Christian Worship music and carols for 4 decades and has led music in a number of Sydney churches. He trained at the NSW Conservatorium of Music & has an Honours degree in Ancient & New Testament History.
Experiencing a Chinese Christmas
Some years after China opened up to foreigners, I had the opportunity to visit my brother and his young family who lived in Beijing. It was Christmas time and I brought goodies with me: Christmas pudding, gifts and above all, lots of affection for these children who I saw so rarely.
I don’t know really what I expected to see in Beijing but it certainly wasn’t this. Everywhere shops, restaurants and community areas were loaded with Christmas decorations and the spirit of gift giving was well and truly on display. Some of the decorations were so heavy that they threatened to pull the ceilings down. It had a distinctly Chinese atmosphere but at the same time it was so very Western.
Later I did meet Chinese Christians and saw the amazing work God was doing there. However, at the time I was curious about a nation which had encountered the trappings of the season but until very recently had not legally been allowed to hear the message of Jesus.
A Christian Christmas.
An amazing opportunity to reach people with the best of news.
My experience in China gave a new perspective about my own society. Where I had personally been taught to value Jesus as the meaning of Christmas time in a Christian household, much of my society has never encountered this great truth. I had always assumed that the acknowledging a Messiah’s birth into our world was the central purpose of Christmas Day. If I spoke to someone, I used to start from the presumption that that somehow, they would be returning to my understanding – the true meaning of Christmas.
But that wasn’t so. I have realised my Australian community is very much like the Gentile one that Paul reaches out to in Acts, especially the Athenians who had no knowledge of Jesus’ birth or existence. I could not start out assuming in a slightly paternal way that non-Christians needed to respect this day and come to church and that even the government agreed with this when they made it a public holiday.
In my post-Christian society, there are a great many people who know nothing about Jesus and tragically, whose sole encounter has been when His name is used as a swear word. But once a year, they go with their children to sing Christmas carols in the parks throughout the country. Some are televised events with many thousands attending, accompanied by symphony orchestras and with Australia’s most famous singers. For many it is the one time of the year they are in a place to discover Jesus.
And here is such an amazing opportunity to reach out and tell them about the astonishing love of Jesus and it is where my personal experience ties in.
A New Christmas Carol for Your Church
Last Christmas, Australia’s No 1 rated crossover artist, the Dutch/ Australian soprano, Mirusia, known internationally for performing with Andre Rieu, encountered my carol, Christmas is Here Again. She recorded then later performed it with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra at one of these large events. The carol was also released on a CD which had a range of popular and secular carols from other top recording Australian artists.
When I wrote this carol, I wanted to try a new approach to reaching people based on my Chinese and Australian experiences. I started by including images that were completely familiar to people without a church background; stockings, candy-cane and gift-wrapping. Gradually, I drew listeners in deeper into another way of seeing Christmas, adapting some beautiful words from Reginald Heber. You may remember his hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy. Heber, the missionary bishop of Calcutta, lived 200 years ago and consequently some of his images no longer connect for people today. One case in point was, ‘odours of Edom’ for which I substituted the more recognisable, ‘perfumes of Paris.’ Through this I was able to subtly introduce audiences to the Jesus who was born with the specific purpose of giving them the gift of life.
A life-long friend and artist, Lee Byrne created a stunning sand art narrative to go with the carol so that it can be played in churches and secular concerts and reinforce this crucial biblical message. It is specifically designed to attract children. If you would like to play it for your church at Christmas, you can see the carol here:
The real spirit of Christmas
So much about our contemporary Christmas is wonderful and should not be discounted. There is a spirit of generosity and excitement in the air and a desire to rebuild family relationships. People who have been caught up in the concerns of daily life catch the sense of a need to look outwards and to consider others. (Part of the Dickensian Christmas revolution.) It is the one time of the year when briefly, bad news can be put aside.
As holidays approach there is the time to reflect on what the past year has been like: perhaps hectic, perhaps unsuccessful. Yes, there are things which can be condemned. The overt commercialism is an obvious example and it is easy to become cynical about it. However, if we become negative and defensive about the lack of focus on Jesus at this time then it may well blind us to the opportunities we have to talk to others about the wonderful Christmas story in the carols we sing.
And follow it with the even-better Easter story.
If you would like some other beautiful new carols that your congregation can sing, I’d suggest Rise we Now or Child in The Manger. Sheet Music and further blogs on can be found at jonseccombemusic.com