Season after Pentecost 2026

The Season After Pentecost is the long green season of the Church year. It is a time of growth, discipleship, and learning to live as people shaped by the life of Christ. Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Church turns its attention to the daily work of faith: listening, practicing, serving, forgiving, and discovering the presence of God in the ordinary rhythms of life.

In Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary, Matthew’s Gospel accompanies us through much of the season. Jesus teaches in parables drawn from fields, gardens, birds, seeds, vineyards, storms, and harvests, revealing a kingdom that grows quietly yet persistently within the world God has made. Along the way, we encounter stories of courage and doubt, abundance and scarcity, welcome and resistance, all inviting us to see our lives through the lens of God's unfolding reign.

This year at Messiah, the Season After Pentecost will also be shaped by a particular attentiveness to creation. As we worship alongside signs of the natural world and hear Scripture's recurring witness to God's care for all that lives, we will practice noticing the ways creation proclaims the essence of its Creator. This green season reminds us that faith is not only about mountaintop moments or holy days, but about steady growth. Like seeds planted in good soil, streams flowing through dry places, and branches stretching toward the light, we are being formed by the Spirit into a people who bear fruit for the sake of the world.