A Worship Pastor’s Farewell
By Gunnar Tesdahl
Pastor of Worship Arts
It is hard to believe that, after serving at Chapel Hill for over eight years, our little family is nearing our time to depart. It has been a blessing to receive encouraging messages from so many in the congregation. We sincerely welcome your continued prayers as we take this big next step in our journey. We know that the Lord goes before us!
As I reflect on our years of ministry together, there are many highlights. Some of my favorite memories are from the holiday seasons. During Christmas time, we had the Christmas choir concerts when various ensembles presented all the beautiful music … the Glow concerts, blowing the roof off with high-energy Christmas carols … the Christmas Eve services when the candles lit the room as we sang Silent Night. During Holy Week, thinking back to Maundy Thursday services and the holy solemnity of contemplative worship … and Easter morning with the fanfare and celebration of our risen Lord … although there was that one Easter when the call time was 6:30 am for the musicians … I don’t know if I’ll miss that!
But even considering those holiday events and services, there is something I enjoyed even more: it was worshiping the Lord with you every Sunday morning. There is something special about gathering with the same church family to lift up the name of the Lord together, week after week. And those are the times I will miss the most … the moments we shared in the presence of God on a typical Sunday, when the Spirit showed up in powerful ways.
As I prepare to conclude my service at Chapel Hill, I want to offer an encouragement to you: cherish those moments. Make the most of that weekly time together in God’s presence.
A few years ago, I shared a video outlining my hopes for worship at Chapel Hill. I want to reiterate those hopes that I continue to pray the Lord would cultivate in you as a church family. Consider it my parting shot as a worship pastor, to encourage you to “excel still more” (1 Thessalonians 4:10) in pursuing God’s heart in worship every Sunday!
Be Participants, Not Consumers
Worship is not a spectator sport! We are all valued members of the team. Every time we gather to sing, to pray, to hear the Word, to fellowship, we are ALL called to be engaged in that important work. And it really is work! It’s not easy to get up in the morning, throw on your Sunday best, if you have kids to get them ready and out the door, and make it in time for the first song! Beyond that, it takes effort to join in the singing, to stay engaged as a listener, even to greet the folks around you. And yet, it is a worthwhile effort. The old term for a worship order is liturgy. That comes from the Latin word liturgia, which literally means “the work of the people.” When we gather in worship, we all have a part to play, we all have work to do!
It can be easy in our consumeristic culture to think that church is for you and for me. That we attend a church service to hear a Christian version of a concert, watch a Christian version of a TED talk, enjoy some refreshments and maybe a minute or two of friendly conversation, and then go home. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! Worship is the work of God’s people as we offer him our praises and prayers, our hearts and our voices …
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (Hebrews 13:15)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
This is what we gather to do: to offer ourselves back to God. And this participation isn’t optional! The Psalms, for example, are filled with commands, not suggestions, for our role in the corporate worship gathering. “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name” (Psalm 30:4). The New Testament carries that on, as it envisions worship through song as a means of encouraging one another.
Again, worship is a team sport! It’s not just me and Jesus; it’s we and Jesus.
Value Substance Over Style
We all have our favorite musical genre. We know we like this, but we don’t like that. There are few things folks are more opinionated about than music! Well, I guess there is one thing… worship music! Over the years of being in worship ministry, I have grown accustomed to hearing the opinions of others. I welcome it now, although at the beginning it could be a bit overwhelming! My favorite has to be a comment card I received at my previous church. A sweet lady wrote on the back, “Please play more of the hymns that I sang in my childhood church, the one with the white picket fence and the steeple on top.” I think she may have even included the address!
And I understand it! The style of music is meaningful to us because it is tied to our life experiences. There are formative moments that have led to our preferences for certain kinds of music in church. At the same time, style should never trump substance. In other words, what we sing is far more important than how we sing.
I have always appreciated a variety of musical expressions in church, because I have seen how the Lord uses them to draw people to himself. Whether it’s a Catholic mass filled with organ and incense, a historically African American church with a lively gospel choir, or a non-denominational church with a band playing in a converted K-Mart … As long as we are singing songs that are filled with the Spirit and Truth, I am ready to worship! Why? Because the substance is far more important than the style.
This is why I have appreciated the times we’ve shared at Chapel Hill when the whole church gathers to worship the Lord together in one service. Sure, we blend the styles and that takes a little adjusting. But there is something powerful about worshiping across generations, across backgrounds, across preferences. I like to think that is a tiny foretaste of what it will be like in heaven, when we join “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).
When we put style in the back seat, and let the substance drive, we get back to what worship should be all about: praying the Word, singing the Word, hearing the Word, and living the Word.
Worship with Your Whole Being
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
Worship should engage the intellect and the affections. Our heads and our hearts. Mind, body, and spirit. We bring our whole self to worship. As a result, we should make every effort, out of honor to the Lord who made us, to be present and engaged in every aspect of the service.
When the call to worship is read, may you say, “Awake my soul, and sing!” When the songs of praise are sung, may you lift up your voice with reverence and awe. When the confession time begins, may you take a heart posture that is introspective and repentant. When the assurance is proclaimed, may you overflow with gratitude for the good news of Jesus. When the announcements are spoken, may you tune in to the Spirit’s prompting to participate in his work in and through the church. When the offering is passed, may you pray for God to use your gifts to multiply his Kingdom’s impact. When the sermon is preached, may you be receptive and eager to apply what you learn to your life. When the blessing is pronounced, may you invite the Spirit to fill you and commit to live out God’s will in your life. And when you depart, may you not exit too early, delighting in the fellowship time for what it is: the gathering of your brothers and sisters in Christ with whom you will share eternity.
This is the wonder of worship. There is so much happening! If we would but ask God to give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand what he is saying to the church! Will you be attentive to how he is at work in you and in the church around you? Dear church, worship God with all that you are—don’t hold anything back!
Closing Thoughts
So, Chapel Hill, this is what I will miss most. Worshiping the Lord with you. Week after week. And yet … I know we will get to do that again someday. Because the church is a forever family. Whether this side of glory or the next, I rejoice that we have a lot more worship ahead of us. And until then…
God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
may the Shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
All to him,
Pastor Gunnar