A Time of Growth
Jesus told His disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). We are grafted into Jesus and made a branch of the Vine by the power of the Spirit in Holy Baptism. We stay connected to Jesus, our Vine, by hearing the preaching of God’s Word and by receiving Absolution and the Lord’s Supper. This is how our life in Christ grows: by the power of the Spirit working in our hearts through Word and Sacrament.
The Sundays after Pentecost make up the longest portion of the Church Year. This is the Time of the Church–the time we focus on growing together in the life of the Holy Trinity.
How We Worship on the Sundays after Pentecost
During the Sundays after Pentecost we . . .
. . . decorate the church with the color green.
Green is the color for the season after Pentecost. Green is the color of growing plants and life. As growing plants need water and nourishment, so we can only grow by living in our Baptisms and receiving the Lord’s Word and Sacraments.
. . . focus on the teachings of the Lord for His Church.
In this half of the year, the Time of the Church, we focus on the life of Christ in His Church as He guides us to grow in “faith toward [God] and in fervent love toward one another.” (Post Communion Collect)
Excerpted from–
Ordering Our Days in His Peace:
An Introduction to the Christian Church Year
by Heath R. Curtis
available from Concordia Publishing House • cph.org
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