Pentecost Resource Guide
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.
Worship
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.”
Find more in The Worship Sourcebook
Read a story with Simon Chan about the Church and the Triune God
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.
- Resources from Zeteo Preaching and Worship
- Pentecost Series-Catching God's Wind
- A Pentecost Hymn Festival by Bert Polman
- When the Breath of God Blows
- The Heartbeat of Pentecost
- Weekday Chapel: The Wind of the Spirit
- The Meaning of Pentecost
- Alive to the Spirit
- Church and the Triune God
- Six pastors reflect on the significance of Ascension Day and Pentecost
- A Pentecost Series about the Church
- A Prayer for Pentecost (congregational litany)
- Songs for Pentecost and the Holy Spirit
- Services for Ascension & Pentecost
- An Introduction to Pentecost Season and Summer
- Sensing the Spirit - Pentecost and the Senses
- Trinity Sunday -The week after Pentecost
- Resources on the Fruit of the Spirit
- The Fire, the Wind, the Water: A Dramatic Reading for Pentecost
- A Global God, A Global Task: A Mission Drama for Pentecost
- Meeting the Holy Spirit through Preaching and the Arts
Song Resources
Visual Arts Resources
- Pentecost Resource Guide Slideshow
- Images and the Screen
- Jan Richardson Images
- Eyekons
- Virginia Wieringa
- Women at Pentecost Images
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.
The Apostles' Creed, Joni Walker
Featured Resources
The Worship Sourcebook
- Part Q of The Worship Sourcebook Second Edition, 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 The Worship Sourcebook, pp. 713-725, offers worship resources for Trinity Sunday. These resources include suggestions for the Call to Worship, Opening Responses, Confession and Assurance, Prayers for Illumination, the Lord's Supper, and Blessing/Benediction.
Reformed Worship magazine
- Browse Pentecost resources from our ministry partner, Reformed Worship magazine.
Coop's Column
- Chaplain emeritus Dale Cooper writes a series about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit.
Center for Excellence in Preaching
- Browse resources related to Pentecost from our ministry partner, Center for Excellence in Preaching.