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As Head Chorister in an Anglican cathedral choir, Jon Seccombe spent considerable time when he was a teenager singing Christmas carols.
Some of these were uniquely Australian and written particularly to reflect the Australia environment: there is very little snow in a Sydney summer when the temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius! The heat was particularly noticeable when the choir was dressed in full robes, standing out in the direct sun and carolling at midday. Kangaroos more logically replaced reindeer in some of these carols and the Magi appeared as drovers in others.
Travelling in China to visit relatives much later, Jon saw how quickly its people had picked up all the Christmas traditions despite the country having only recently opened its doors to tourists. As a Christian and a church musician, Jon saw how much carols and Christmas traditions appealed to so many across the world.
Despite some of these extreme circumstances, Jon has a great love for the beautiful carols which are part of the English choral tradition and which are the start of the greatest story ever told - the birth of a saviour who would rescue all those who cared to trust in Him.
In Australia, much of the precious message of Jesus has been lost to so many. There are great sections of the population for whom their only faint knowledge of Christianity comes from a Christmas carol.
While Jon has been composing songs for church worship for quite some time, (his 2024 release, is ‘SIng to God’ has reached the semi-finals in the UKSC), he is also drawn to connect with those outside the church. One great way of reaching people who might never otherwise hear of Jesus’ love is through new Christmas carols which tell the story in fresh and contemporary language.
Jon’s recent carol, ‘Christmas is Here Again’ was recorded by Mirusia, Australia’s crossover artist of the year. She is well known for singing with The Seekers and for her performances with Andre Rieu which have millions of hits on YouTube. This carol was a finalist in the USA’s Song Door competition against all other songs, secular included, which was a rare achievement for a Christian song, let alone a Christmas carol.
In this carol, Jon updated ideas from Reginald Heber, drawing listeners in with images from a typical Christmas gathering and then gently focusing attention on Jesus. It has been beautifully illustrated by Lee Byrne with her sand art.
Jon has had numerous other successes with his carols. Merry Be You All was recorded by the U.K.’s Kim Chandler, who has backed the Bee Gees, Neil Diamond and many other great artists. The carol was a Finalist in the UK Song Writing Contest.
Another recent carol Jon wrote, Bells Are Ringing was also a finalist in the same contest. Jon has a challenge for the Bell Towers and the churches of the UK though. He wants to create a clip which features bell towers throughout the country, ringing while dressed in their best Christmas clothes and having fun.
The song can be found on all platforms - particularly at https://youtu.be/L4DS9qy-Sqk on Jon’s You Tube channel. Jon is encouraging churches to also get involved by creating short their take on the lyrics. More details can be found at jonseccombemusic.com
