The Season of Pentecost
Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 4:23PM First Sunday after Trinity
The Season After Pentecost is that part of the church year when we focus on the parables and teachings of Jesus rather than the events of His life. The name of this season varies widely from church to church—it can be called Kingdomtide, Dominiontide, Ordinary Time or the non-Festival half of the year. In most churches, the general theme of the Bible readings and sermons concerns the church’s mission in the world to become like Jesus and make disciples of those who do not yet know Him.
“The Season After Pentecost” begins on the day after Pentecost. In the western Church, it ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. The last Sunday of this season is always Christ the King Sunday.
The feast of Pentecost derives from the Hebrew celebration, Shavuot, which was held 50 days after Passover and was associated with the first harvest of grain in the spring. The Jewish holiday, also referred to in the Bible as "the feast of weeks," came to be identified with the revelation on Mt. Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments. It may also reflect still older, pagan festivals celebrating the return of life to nature following the "death" of winter. Given the importance of Passover, the Sinai tradition, and the spring harvest festivals to both Jews and early Christians, one begins to understand the significance of Pentecost.
Since this season is meant to be a time of growth in one’s spiritual life, the color associated with it is green. At Christ the King we have vestments and an altar frontal that is in a brighter green during the first half of the season and a darker one for the second half, which occurs in fall and winter.