A long incubation

Eggs. Symbol of new birth. Of hope. Of waiting.

The poor hen has to sit still for days while waiting for those eggs to incubate and hatch, releasing chicks into the world.

Be still and know that I am God. Be still. Children have a hard time being still and waiting as Christmas or birthdays near. Lovers have a hard time being still and waiting for the wedding. The disciples had a hard time being still and waiting, trusting that Jesus had told them the truth. In fact, they were so traumatised by Friday's horrors that they seem to have forgotten everything he said, and perhaps were just laying low til the Passover crowds drifted off, diminishing the danger they believed themselves to be in. Waiting.

The women who knew where the body was were waiting, not perhaps very still, gathering together the things they would need to cleanse and anoint the body at dawn on the first day of the week. It must have been a long, heavy wait. Hopes were dashed. Their Lord was dead.

It's hard to see the possibilities when hopes are dashed. It's hard to remember promises. It's hard to wait.

We are all waiting. Many of us with dashed hopes and dreams. Finding it hard to remember the promises, to keep imagination and dreams alive.

Dawn is coming. New life. Love deeper than the ocean, higher than the stars. Keep hope alive.