I sit two days out from the first mandated “Stay at home” quarantine issued by the state of Connecticut. I have just come through the last week stuck at home with my four kids due to the quarantine issued over the COVID-19 virus outbreak. It has been a surreal time for everyone. This is something they make movies about or that conspiracy theorist’s and doomsday preppers warn about.

While it is weird that I can easily be shamed for being out and about, and to see almost every business closed indefinitely, I have seen some of the silver lining of this unprecedented period. Some are cultural and some are church related.

A busy world is forced to take a Sabbath – I have preached often on one of the best life lessons I have learned in my years of ministry. That lesson is rediscovering Sabbath. There was a time that taking at least one day off to rest or focus on God was normal. Now, we applaud those who work 12 hour days, 7 days a week. The quarantine has forced people to stop. I talk about the joy of snowstorms making people stop. This is bigger than a snowstorm. When we stop, we might become bored. When we become bored, we might start looking around us and might see things we have been missing. Creativity is born out of boredom. It is my hope that this forced Sabbath period slow down our culture and that we again begin to see the things we miss when we speed everything up.

Churches forced to go online – I am a technology geek and it has been a part of my ministry everywhere I have gone. As we look at effectively reaching the next generation, specifically millennials and Gen Z, we can’t expect to connect with them without using technology. Last week, the majority of American churches had to do a crash course on how to stream services for their people since they weren’t allowed to meet together. I could not be happier for that! I know many are panicked over it, but it has forced the church to use the tools available and it shows that the church is more than a building we meet at every week. I hope the gospel is more visible than it has ever been as a result.

Churches collaborating – This goes hand in hand with my last paragraph. It has been AMAZING to see larger churches and smaller churches reaching out to each other to figure out how to go ministry online while they are all going through it at the same time. Several ministries have even opened up their resources for free or cheap. All of the sudden, it has torn down denominational differences and has emphasized churches ministering to the world around them the best way possible.

An opportunity for independent ministry – Often, churches are responsible for organizing ministry opportunities to their community and beyond. Because we have been limited on doing things in large gatherings, it places the focus for ministry on the individual rather than the church. The church must now be the church and keep its eyes open for opportunity. This is not a hurdle, it’s an opportunity.

Focus on the family – Families are having to spend time together like never before. Parents are being put in charge of helping with the education of their children and the spiritual education of their children. Parents are having to be…parents again. This is a foreign concept as we have generally handed off the care of our kids to others. Now, for potentially months, parents will have to engage with their kids with no help from the outside. How awesome is that?!!

I do not choose to minimize the massive impact this is going to carry for years. Neighbors who are not able to work and yet have to pay bills and eat. Retirement investments vanish. The mental impact of germophobia. Businesses that will not be able to recover. Families who can’t take each other and come out more divided or divorced. It is my prayer that the church is on the frontline of these battles and proves to be the hands and feet of Jesus again.