Develop a Discipleship System
SEASON AFTER PENTECOST (ORDINARY TIME)
The Season after Pentecost, also called Ordinary Time, begins the day after Pentecost and ends the day before the First Sunday of Advent. It may include twenty–three to twenty–eight Sundays, depending on the date of Easter, but the first Sunday is always Trinity Sunday, and the last Sunday is always the Sunday of the Reign of Christ or Christ the King. The season also includes All Saints and Thanksgiving.
Although the scripture lessons in the lectionary for this half of the year go in a semi-continuous cycle through books of the Bible rather than follow a theme, the gospel lessons cover Jesus' teaching ministry.
Paraments, stoles, and banners may show a variety of color, texture, and symbols. Regardless of the name given to this season, its basic color is green, symbolizing growth in Christ. White is the customary color for Trinity Sunday, All Saints, and Reign of Christ/Christ the King Sunday. Red is appropriate for homecomings, anniversaries, evangelistic services, conse– crations, and civil holidays. The scripture readings or theme for a particular Sunday may suggest colors, textures, or symbols for the visuals used that day. A lesson on children, for example, might suggest using art by children.
Acts of worship are chosen more because they relate to the scripture readings or theme of the particular day than because they fit the season as a whole.
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Note: This essay is edited, 2013, by Discipleship Ministries to reflect the degree to which Kingdomtide has fallen almost completely out of use among us. As noted in the original essay in 1992, United Methodists were the only denomination in the world still using that designation for some of the Sundays after Pentecost, a term with far wider United Methodist and ecumenical use.