What Did You Get Last Sunday?

Deegie said:

I 100% agree with that sentiment! The only downside is minimizing the linkage between crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and Paraclete. Like these things all had to happen in this order for the plan of salvation to be accomplished.

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Shane R said:

I've always thought of and treated Pentecost as its own season. The RCL begins counting the Sundays of Ordinary Time from Pentecost. The liturgical color shifts to red. The focus is the Spirit for a week.

I see Deegie's point more in the one year lectionary, where the summer and autumn Sundays are counted from Trinity rather than Pentecost. Even there, Pentecost gets red in modern times.

I'm not scheduled anywhere for Pentecost this year, which is a shame because it's one of my favorite Sundays to preach.

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I actually really like both approaches. The approach @Deegie mentions is very Byzantine actually - the book covering the hymns in the Byzantine Rite from Easter Sunday to All Saints Day (the Sunday after Pentecost) and usually a few Sundays past that point is called the Pentecostarion (it is also sometimes called the Flowery Triodion but this is a misnomer as it does not contain any hymns of the kind called a “triode” unlike the Triodion, which is the service book used from Septuagesima through Holy Saturday (Easter Even).

The approach mentioned by @Shane R on the other hand strikes me as more Western and also Syriac. Historically in several churches starting in the 1920s the first half of the period from Pentecost until Advent was called “the season of Pentecost” and the second half, the following season was called “Kingdomtide,” with red vestments worn during the former and green during the latter.

Now in the Byzantine Rite it might surprise some of you to know that green vestments are used on Pentecost and just as the Nativity and Baptism of our Lord are celebrated together in the Armenian liturgy, in the Byzantine liturgy Pentecost is also Trinity Sunday. And indeed this year due to Julian/Gregorian calendar, it fell on Western Trinitarian Sunday. The churches are also decorated with greenery everywhere, which is also something the Jews do on the feast of Pentecost. The greenery is regarded as symbolizing new life and the tongues of fire descending on the Apostles.

The West Syriac Rite (which is used by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, a member of the Anglican communion, and by the Malankara Independent Syrian Church, a Syriac Orthodox jurisdiction in full communion with the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, which is fascinating because the latter is otherwise completely Oriental Orthodox) also uses greenery on this feast and indeed during the three kneeling prayers (a common feature of Eastern liturgies on Pentecost) the presbyter will take soaked palm fronds, which have been soaked to within an inch of their life, and recreationally splash the congregation with them. I say recreationally because this is not the sprinlking of the asperges but something that is intentionally enjoyed by the people, a deliberate and intense splashing, with the presbyter going after his friends with particular vigor. I was delighted when I saw this in person for the first time in 2013.

It is then followed after church with the delightful tradition of Christians from the Levant throwing water on each other. And everyone does it, so the entire congregation is reduced to what amounts to a water fight like kids in a pool (or wielding water balloons or Super Soakers) in celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit. This is particularly a delight in places where it is quite hot, such as the Middle East and the Southwestern US. I would imagine that among the Syriac Christians living down under a bit more restraint is used at this service particularly in those places where it gets chilly, such as the Alps of Southern New Zealand.

Now despite all of what I have described, the atmosphere during the church service itself is still reverent, oddly enough. I have no idea how that works but it does. But afterwards with the active splashing and throwing water on people it definitely is not reverent. But there’s a certain apostolic joy in it.

That said its probably one of those cultural customs that is very rite-specific and should not be foisted upon the unexpecting; most Anglicans I’ve met would be at least somewhat displeased if a fellow church-goer were to creep up behind them and without warning splash them with water on the feast of Whitsunday!