About the Season of Pentecost

Day of Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost (June 8) is the fiftieth day after Easter. The Day of Pentecost emphasizes the gift of the Holy Spirit and the role of the church in the confession and preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The events of the Day of Pentecost show the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to His church.

The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, and they became bold witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Around three thousand people from many nations and languages became believers on the first Pentecost; for this reason, Pentecost is sometimes called the birthday of the Christian Church.

The color for the Day of Pentecost is red, signifying the fire and the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4).

The Holy Trinity

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the church celebrates Holy Trinity Sunday (June 15). We confess and teach the mystery of our triune God. We are baptized into the name of the one true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are three persons, yet one God. God does not switch from Father, to Son, to Holy Spirit one at a time. God is always Three and always at the same time One. This is the great mystery of the Holy Trinity.

The color for The Holy Trinity is white, symbolizing divinity, purity, and eternity.

Time after Pentecost

The Time after Pentecost begins the Day after Pentecost and ends the Saturday before the First Sunday in Advent. The Sundays after Pentecost make up the longest portion of the Church Year. We call this half of the year the Time of the Church.

Throughout this season, we focus on the ministry of Christ and how He guides His church to grow in faith toward God and in love toward one another. During this time our will focus will be on the Gospel readings in Luke. These readings pick up the narrative of Jesus’ life in mid-ministry at the height of His teaching, storytelling, and healing. There is a bit of everything in Luke, with some well-known passages to experience again: the sending out of the disciples, the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus visiting Mary and Martha, and instruction on prayer. These snapshots of Jesus’ ministry highlight various facets of discipleship practice: welcoming, listening, praying, peacemaking, rejoicing, and more.

The color for the season after Pentecost is green which signifies growth and life. We grow in faith and are nourished as we hear and study God’s Word and receive the Sacraments in the resurrection life in Christ.