Indium Tin Oxide

Dan Harper September 04, 2026 3 3

Playlists

Add to Favourites

Save for later

Listen to this daily worship

1 John 1 (NIV-UK)

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Did you know that the layer of indium tin oxide that allows our touchscreens to work is between 20 nanometers to 100 nanometers thick. That is about 1,000 times thinner than a human hair!

The remarkable thing about this vanishingly thin layer of metal is that it allows over 90% of light that hits it to pass through. Which of course, allows for our touch screens to respond to touch, and be functional screens.

I find that quite wonderful.

Something can carry power without getting in the way of the light. In our reading today we are told that God is light and we are invited to walk in that light. And perhaps that means we are tempted to think that means we need to shine very brightly ourselves.

In our lives of faith it is easy to think it is important that we need to have the right words to say, that we want to dazzle people with our faith. But our job is to walk in the light, not be the light. 

What if, as we walk in the light, we live in such a way that God's compassion isn't obscured by our judgement? That God's generosity isn't hidden behind our selfishness? That God's welcome isn't blocked by our respectability? That God's love can be seen through us rather than being eclipsed by us?

A transparent conductor doesn't create the power and it doesn't create the light. It simply lets both travel on. There are worse descriptions of a Christian.

Prayer:

Dear God,

Help us not to obscure your light. Let your grace, hope and love shine through the lives we live.

Amen.