Updated on
April 28, 2023
This list of Pentecost resources, including hymns, songs, visual arts, books, and sermon ideas, will help you plan worship for Pentecost Sunday, traditionally celebrated 50 days after Easter. Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ disciples, marked by a strong wind, tongues of fire, and manifested in the disciples’ speaking in foreign languages.

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On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples. Ten days after Christ’s ascension and fifty days after his resurrection, the disciples were together for a Jewish festival also known as the Feast of Weeks, which drew people from many nations back to Jerusalem (Lev. 23:15-21; Deut. 16:16).

Pentecost symbolizes a new beginning, with the unleashing of the Holy Spirit. In celebrating Pentecost, the church expresses gratitude for Christ fulfilling his promise to send “another counselor” (John 14:16); celebrates the work of the Spirit in renewing all of creation; professes confidence in the Spirit’s power for its mission; and grows in awareness of its calling to reach the world with the gospel.

The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday.  Unlike other special days tied to events, it focuses on the doctrine of God’s triune nature. 

The “Season after Pentecost,” is sometimes called “Trinity Season,” “Ordinary Time,” or even the “Season of Growth,” with its focus on growing in the faith, Christian living, stewardship and service.

The traditional color for Pentecost is flame red; white and gold may be used for Trinity Sunday, and green is the color for the growing season of “Ordinary Time.” 

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Planning Resources and Services for Pentecost

A simple suggestion for the day of Pentecost: invite various people to speak the Greeting, Apostles Creed and/or Blessing in multiple languages to demonstrate the diversity of languages when the Spirit came.

  • Pentecost Series-
  •  by Bert Polman
  •  
  • (congregational litany)
  •  - Pentecost and the Senses
  •  -The week after Pentecost

Song Resources

Visual Arts Resources

Children's Books

 

I Believe: The Nicene Creed, Pauline Baynes

Baynes transforms the creed "into a joyous hymn to God." She did the orginal line illustrations for C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

, Joni Walker

Featured Resources

The 91 Sourcebook

  • Part Q of , pp. 694-718, offers sample prayers and other worship resources for each act of worship celebrating the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. Section R of , pp. 713-725, offers worship resources for Trinity Sunday. These resources include suggestions for the Call to 91, Opening Responses, Confession and Assurance, Prayers for Illumination, the Lord's Supper, and Blessing/Benediction.

Reformed 91 magazine

  • Browse Pentecost resources from our ministry partner,  magazine.

Coop's Column

  • Chaplain emeritus Dale Cooper writes a series about Pentecost and the

Center for Excellence in Preaching

  • Browse from our ministry partner, .