Even before the present increase in TV viewing time, we had regularly made time for the BBC programme ‘CLICK’ which focuses on things technical and scientific. Like everyone else, the presenters have been unable to go out and about or to their studio so are chatting and presenting video reports from their homes.

At the start of the second week of this, the presenter opened by saying, “Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch after our first show from home, giving us your support. Although,” he added, “most of the comments were about how much you liked the painting on the wall behind me and the rainbow cushions on my sofa!”

I could understand that: I too have been enjoying ‘entering’ so many kitchens, living rooms and gardens of a great variety of people as they report on news and share their stories. This has been one of the odd silver linings of the present crisis.

Not wishing to quote out of context, I share this verse that caught my eye: ‘A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

(John 16:32) Scattered we are indeed, and we are not alone either, for the Father is also with us. We have returned to the way of the early church – but with better communications! And I’m sure we have found plenty of blessings.

For those us who are normally rushing about, we are still getting to grips with ‘tomorrow is another day’, that there is more than one day a week to ‘get stuff done’. We haven’t set the radio alarm for a month (but still wake up at 7am anyway). The cat is very happy to have full time staff to fill her bowl and roll her ball across the carpet.

I suspect that if everything returned to ‘normal’ tomorrow, then within a few weeks we would all be back to our previous routines. I’m hoping to hold on to some of the lessons of this shutdown. The faith to know that fears are best dealt with by turning them into prayers. That there is plenty of joy to be grateful for despite what we might have lost.

And the world may well have changed too. We have seen a levelling of status and wealth: from the royal family to politicians, from the doctors who treat to the cleaners who sanitise, no one is immune from this global disease. The oil-rich nations can’t give the black stuff away. Those on pensions and benefits are the ones whose income is most secure.

Can we imagine a new world, where food producers and distributors work in cooperation not competition? Where capitalism comes second to compassion? Ours is a God of light and of hope. He brings creation out of chaos, eternal life out of agony, a second chance for all who turn to him.

How will your life be changed by all this? Even while we are all longing for things to ‘go back to being normal’ can we see changes that we can make personally, as a community, a church, a nation, a world, that will help to bring hope and light to the world and make it a better place?

Jean Armin