Contents Introduction Vigil of Pentecost Order of Service for Pentecost Sunday without Communion Matins (Morning Prayer) Service of the Word Ante-communion Sunday with Communion Worship Appointments (candles, colors, etc.) Paraments and Vestments Paschal Candle Other Candles Flowers

Introduction

This page covers matters related to the Feast of Pentecost.

If you have not reviewed the general information on planning liturgy, worship appointments, etc., please do so at our Worship Aids for Pulpit Vacancy page.

Vigil of Pentecost

The Vigil of Pentecost is observed Saturday night (after Sundown) before Pentecost Sunday.

The full Vigil of Pentecost liturgy is similar to the Easter Vigil liturgy, but there are some significant differences. Holy Communion is part of the full vigil service. Consult your interim should you want to explore this option.

Alternatively, a congregation may chose to pray First Vespers of Pentecost. This is a vespers service with the propers for the evening. Again, consult your interim should you want to explore this option.

Order of Service for Pentecost Sunday

For Sundays without Holy Communion

For Sunday mornings when there is no Lord's Supper, three options for liturgy present themselves...

• Matins: a service of morning prayer found in the LBW, pp.131-141. This is an appropriate service to use when no preacher is available. Congregations should not cancel worship for lack of a preacher. Gathering for prayer, the recitation of the psalms, and the reading of Holy Scriptures has long sustained the church in desperate situations.
  
• Service of the Word: a less complicated service than Matins found in the LBW, pp.126-130.
  
• Ante-communion: essentially, the Service for Holy Communion without Holy Communion. This was the liturgy commonly used on non-communion Sundays.
  

Matins (Morning Payer)

Presented here is the service of Matins (a.k.a. "morning prayer") keyed to the LBW. The service is appropriate when no preacher is available. It may, however, be used when a preacher is available, following the option for a sermon found in this matrix. Optional elements are highlighted in light blue. Additional information is found in the footnotes (*, †, ‡, **, ††, and ‡‡).

* Some congregations my find the liturgical music challenging. The Venite exultemus, Benedictus, and Te Deum are set to psalm tones in the canticles section of the LBW. Additionally, LBW #535 is a hymn paraphrase of the Te Deum.

^† For each psalm, there is an associated psalm prayer. The psalm prayers are found in the "Altar Book" (Lutheran Book of Worship: Ministers Edition and also the Lutheran Book of Worship: Ministers Desk Edition). Locate the required psalm, and you will find the psalm prayer printed immediately below it. The psalm prayer may be omitted. As an alternative to the psalm prayer, one may add the Gloria Patri (i.e., "Glory be to the Father, and tó the Son* and to the Hóly Spirit; | as it was in the begínning is now,* and will be forevér. Amen") at the conclusion of the each psalm.

^‡ It is encouraged to include an additional prayer here but not required. Select a collect from any one of the many found in the LBW s.v. "Petitions, Intercessions, and Thanksgivings" (pp.42-53). Rubric #9 indicates several options beyond the offering of a simple collect, but this is much more complicated; consult your interim before taking this option.

** A sermon at Matins is by no means required, the heart of the liturgy being recitation of and meditation upon the psalms. Still, if one is desired, the sequence of offering, hymn, sermon, and sermon prayer is used. After the sermon prayer, the liturgy proceeds immediately to the paschal blessing. Instead of a sermon, a short reading from one of the Patristic writers or a spiritual master may be used; consult you interim for recommendations.

^†† The seasonal invitatory antiphon (p.176) may be used. Admittedly, doing so may confuse a congregation that infrequently used matins, but, if matins is used somewhat regularly, the seasonal invitatory antiphon will be a welcome seasonal marker. It may be used with Canticle #4.

^‡‡ The office hymn is traditionally one of the hymns appointed for morning. The LBW includes a section, s.v., "Morning," (##264-271) among the hymns. There are, however, other hymns scattered throughout the LBW that are equally appropriate for the office hymn, e.g., #142 which may be used on Easter Sunday, Ascension, and Pentecost or #443, or #465, which can be used at any time but works well for the morning. A hymn other than an office hymn may be used, but some obviously don't work well at Matins, e.g., #272.

Service of the Word

Presented here is the Service of the Word keyed to the LBW. Optional elements are highlighted in light blue.

Ante-communion

Presented here is the ante-communion liturgy keyed to the LBW. Employing the ante-communion is not preferred, but it may be the best option given local conditions. Optional elements are highlighted in light blue.

N.B., There are some modifications that must be made when this service led by a layperson or a deacon. Those are indicated with footnotes (*, †, and ‡). Additional information is also provided in the footnotes (**).

* Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness when led by a layperson or deacon: The second absolution formula ("In the mercy of almighty God...") is used, and the sign of the cross is not made over the congregation. Furthermore, the confessional rite is optional when the Sacrament of the Altar is not part of the service.

^† Apostolic Greeting when led by a layperson or deacon: The formula is modified to "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all."

^‡ Benediction when led by a layperson or deacon: the formula is modified to "The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us. The Lord look upon us with favor and give us peace," and the sign of the cross is not made over the congregation.

** Proper verses (for each Sunday and feast) may be found in the propers for the Sunday, s.v., "Gospel Acclamation" (n.b., the term, "verse," was used in the LBW for this short passage from Holy Scripture, the term "Gospel acclamations," referring to the introductory, "Glory to you, O Lord," and closing, "Praise to you, O Christ." One needs to code switch between LBW and ELW. The proper verses can also be found in the "Altar Book" (Lutheran Book of Worship: Ministers Edition and it's "desk edition"), but one must, in ordinary time, check to see if the lessons line up, as there was a change in lectionary after the publication of the LBW. While proper verses help highlight the Scripture readings or themes for the day, this may be a level of complexity ill-suited for pulpit vacancy. Consult your interim should you want to avail yourself of this option.

For Sundays with Holy Communion

The full service of Holy Communion may only be used when a presbyter (pastor) or bishop presides. This chart is keyed to the LBW. Optional elements are highlighted in light blue. Additional information is found in the footnotes (* and †).

* Proper verses (for each Sunday and feast) may be found in the propers for the Sunday, s.v., "Gospel Acclamation" (n.b., the term, "verse," was used in the LBW for this short passage from Holy Scripture, the term "Gospel acclamations," referring to the introductory, "Glory to you, O Lord," and closing, "Praise to you, O Christ." One needs to code switch between LBW and ELW. The proper verses can also be found in the "Altar Book" (Lutheran Book of Worship: Ministers Edition or it's "desk edition"), but one must, in ordinary time, check to see if the lessons line up, as there was a change in lectionary after the publication of the LBW. While proper verses help highlight the Scripture readings or themes for the day, this may be a level of complexity ill-suited for pulpit vacancy. Consult your interim should you want to avail yourself of this option.

^† Proper offertories (for each Sunday and feast) may be found in the "Altar Book" (Lutheran Book of Worship: Ministers Edition and it's "desk edition"), but one must, in ordinary time, check to see if the lessons line up, as there was a change in lectionary after the publication of the LBW. While proper offertories help highlight the Scripture readings or themes for the day, this may be a level of complexity ill-suited for pulpit vacancy. Consult your interim should you want to avail yourself of this option.

Worship Appointments (candles, colors, etc.) for Pentecost

Paraments and Vestments

The color for the Day of Pentecost and the Vigil of Pentecost is red.

Paschal Candle

Whether the Paschal candle burns on Pentecost depends upon local custom. If the Paschal candle was extinguished during the reading of the Gospel on Ascension, it is not lit. If the congregation does not count Pentecost as part of the Easter season, it is not lit. If the congregation counts Pentecost as part of the Easter season, it is lit. In nowise is the Paschal candle lit beyond this day baptisms and funerals.

If the Paschal candle has not already been moved to the font, it is moved to the font after the Pentecost services have concluded.

When there is a baptism, the Paschal candle is at the font.

When a funeral is held in congregations in which the Paschal candle is normally lit on Pentecost, the Paschal candle should not be included in the procession. Instead, preposition near where the casket will rest so that it may be easily moved to the head of the casket, being careful not to tip it when repositioning it.

When a funeral is held in a congregation in which the Paschal candle is not normally lit on Pentecost, it placed at the head of the casket. If the casket is in the sanctuary prior to the service, the Paschal candle is lit when the sanctuary is opened for the service. If there will be a procession with casket, the Paschal Candle may be either carried in procession or set where (or near) the casket will eventually be placed. In the later case, it may be prudent to light the Paschal candle after it and the casket have been set in position.

Other Candles

The lighting and extinguishing of candles for the Sunday morning service is a matter of local custom. Some congregations have rather elaborate rituals for doing so. Others struggle to find acolytes. If lighting and extinguishing the altar candles has become a challenge, a congregation might follow the advice found in the Manual on the Liturgy–Lutheran Book of Worship: light the candles well before the service, and extinguishing them well after the service, doing so decorously but without pomp and circumstance. This, then, can be done by ushers, the sexton, the altar guild, the pastor, etc. without vesting.

Flowers

Flowers are lovely and a fitting adornment. Flowers, however, should not placed on the mensa (tabletop of the altar). Most non-freestanding altars feature a gradine (a raised shelf at the rear of the altar). Flowers may be placed on the gradine along with altar candles. A freestanding altars (or communion tables) poses a challenge to flower placement. If there is an old high altar with gradine in the apse or a reredos with shelves for flowers, the problem is solved. Flower floor stands can be used, or the flowers may be simply set on the floor in the front of the altar as it is faced by the congregation, assuming the pastor presides from the other side. Flowers should not pose a fire hazard in their placement or a tripping hazard.