Liturgy

"Liturgy" is an old-sounding church word. It refers to the flow or order of a church's public worship. Every church has a liturgy, even if they don't call it that. At Westview, the aim and purpose of gathering for public worship is to help us reorient on the gospel. All week long we hear messages fighting for our affections, holding out to us a vision of the good life. We gather as Christians on Sundays to help one another hone back in on what is good, true, and beautiful: God's redemption of sinners like us through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the indwelling renewal of the Holy Spirit. The way we order our public worship, our liturgy, serves that purpose.

Join us this Sunday as gather for public worship at Beacon Academy in Crystal at 10:30am. See our calendar for the schedule of Discipleship Classes offered before the service.

After a few announcements, during which some are still finding a seat, one of the pastors welcomes everyone to the worship gathering. Then, on behalf of God and his Son, by his Spirit, we are invited into worship together by hearing from God's Word.

After a song of praise, we receive a word of exhortation. One of our pastors addresses the congregation on a specific issue related to the life of our church. This then leads into a time of corporate and individual confession. After confession comes the Assurance of Pardon, a corporate reminder of the forgiveness given to those who confess their sins by faith (1 John 1:9).

After singing together, we devote ourselves to the preaching of God’s Word. One of the pastors leads us in teaching from the Bible and connecting its relevance to our lives. This is when we corporately humble ourselves to hear God’s voice through his Holy Scriptures. (This is the heart of our service and is typically about thirty minutes.)

This is the pinnacle of our public worship as we gather at the Lord's Table to enjoy divine hospitality. Jesus instituted this meal on the night before his crucifixion as a way for us to remember his sacrificial death for us and his promise to return with a great feast (1 Corinthians 11:26, Revelation 19:9). When we drink the cup and eat the bread,* we are dramatizing our union with him. We are declaring Jesus to be the Lord, Savior, and greatest Treasure of our lives. However, it doesn't merely symbolize that—through faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are nourished in Christ with all his benefits. Therefore, not everyone participates. If you’re not a follower of Jesus or have not been baptized, we would encourage you to not eat and drink. We would love to talk more about this with you.
*The bread we serve is gluten-free. For the cup, we offer wine and grape juice.

The mission of Westview is to follow Christ in all of life. That’s our mission because that is exactly what Jesus tells us to do (Matthew 28:18–20). As his church, by his Spirit, we are commissioned out on joyful mission to these Twin Cities.