THEOLOGICAL CLUE

Compared with the traditional calendar of the church, the revised titles of the Sundays in the church year give only general clues to the theology of worship and preaching on the Sundays of Easter. At least, that is what is assumed to be true. Misericordia domini was the title of the Second Sunday after Easter - "Mercy Sunday" - which is now the Third Sunday of Easter. It was also Good Shepherd Sunday, because the traditional Gospel for the Day was John 10:11-16. That gospel and the name of the Sunday, too are now moved to the Fourth Sunday of Easter, one week later than in the traditional lectionary. From one perspective, there are three specific theological clues today for the Third Sunday of Easter, not in the church year, as such, but in the Gospel for the Day in the …