Reading: John 19 v 41

Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.

Reflection: Today is sometimes referred to as Easter eve or Holy Saturday. It is a day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday in which people might think nothing much happens. It can be, however, in some people's thoughts, a very positive day of waiting. A day to take stock of what has happened in the past whilst also looking forward to what is to come. Those who took down the body of Jesus from the cross and placed it in the tomb had no real idea of what was to happen next, they in reality thought that was the end of the Jesus story, the end of their hopes and the end in some cases of their lives. With the burial of Jesus came the burial of their futures.

Whilst being in self isolation last year for a time at the vicarage where I used to live, I often sat in my garden and at the start of one week the buds on the cherry blossom tree could hardly be seen, but by the end of the week, I could see just the hint of colour in one of the buds beginning to appear. Even in the times of darkness, in times waiting, there continues to be just those glimmers of light, those glimmers of hope into the future.