Will Christmas Come this Year?
Poems, Hymns, and other Musings for Advent and Christmas
by
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Introduction
I have chosen to present these writings in chronological order or as close to chronological order as I could ascertain. Three of the texts are presented without musical setting. One of those has a suggested tune, which for obvious reasons when one sees the recommended tune, could not be printed here. What Does It Mean, “Wonderful Counselor?” has not been set to music even though it is poetic in nature. The odd number of lines and mismatch of poetic feet per line make it impossible to match with any existing tune and I have not overcome the challenge of dividing it into stanzas, so I have decided to leave it as it was originally printed.
For each entry, you will find the title. In some instances, I used a particular scripture as the starting point for the text. For those poems, I have indicated that passage immediately below the title. If music is provided for the text, you will find the name of the tune on the line below the title. This tune name will appear in capital letters as is common in hymnals. For tunes that I have created, this tune name will often be similar or identical to the title. My original tunes are also named for people and places I have lived or worked. If the tune or its setting has been created by someone other than this author, the source of the tune will be given following the tune name along with the publication date. On the third line, the poetic meter will be cited. For anyone unfamiliar with poetic meter, the abbreviations are explained in the metrical index.
At the end of the collection, I have included several indexes to aid anyone who chooses to make liturgical use of these works.
It is my hope that the reader will find this material both interesting and useful.
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About the Book
Will Christmas Come This Year? is an attempt to apply the biblical representation of incarnation and other biblical passages to the situation of our world. Compiled from writings produced annually over thirty-six years, the writings often deal with the context of the world situation in which they were created. Sometimes critical of the way contemporary Christians practice the Christmas season, the writings always end in encouragement to let the coming of Christ lead to victorious living.
About the Author
A former public school choir teacher, fulltime Southern Baptist music minister, and professor of music at a Bible college, Chambers holds two degrees from Texas Christian University and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Church Music degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At age twenty-five, he began a two-year tenure as Instructor of Elementary Music Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Twenty-five years later he returned to college teaching at Johnson University Tennessee, retiring as Professor of Music in 2017.
A lifelong Southern Baptist, he also served in Disciples of Christ, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. As an ordained minister, he served local churches in Kentucky, Virginia, Texas, and Tennessee. He served as an associational leader for Southern Baptists in Kentucky and Texas and served with interdenominational groups in Texas and Tennessee. His involvement with local food ministries provided first-hand experience with people of varying socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.
Chambers has an article and numerous reviews published in The Choral Journal and has published a book on choral conducting. He also has had articles published in various media of the universities he served. A composer since age eighteen, he began writing hymns around 1985, often composing musical settings to go with the texts. Many of his hymns and choral settings were produced for specific use in the churches he served.