The Gospel Written in Silicon (Part 2)
Prayer at the Edge of Physics
The Ceiling of Silicon
In the video mentioned in Part One, there is an incredible story told by one of the key leaders at ASML.
ASML is arguably the most important technology company in the world. They are a kind of modern printing press—but instead of printing pages, they print microscopic images with light. In doing so, they lead the world in producing the most advanced microchips on the planet—the very engine behind artificial intelligence and other modern marvels. As we prepare to explore AI and reflect on its meaning, this story may be the perfect place to begin.
In the early 2010s, ASML was working on a project aimed at breaking through a hard physical barrier in microchip manufacturing. Chips could no longer be made smaller and faster using existing methods. If this ceiling remained, it would dramatically limit humanity’s ability to continue advancing computing power—and with it, AI.
ASML had a promising approach, but it required enormous time, money, and patience. They were being funded by three major companies, each with a vested interest in the success of the project. Yet despite years of effort, the team kept hitting one roadblock after another. Progress stalled. Pressure mounted. Failure would mean lost funding and a stalled future.
Three Candles in a Chapel
At one point, a senior leader and a key scientist went out to dinner together. Afterward, they noticed a chapel across the street and decided to step inside.
Having reached what the scientist later described as “the limits of science,” he appealed to “divine intervention.” Inside the chapel, they lit three candles—one for each of the companies investing in the project. Then they offered a simple prayer.
In the interview, the scientist describes this moment as a turning point. Shortly after, a breakthrough occurred. Their work accelerated, and ASML moved forward with the technology that now underpins the most advanced chips in existence!
Many viewers may gloss over this story or treat it as a charming anecdote. But pause and consider this for a moment. According to the testimony of those involved, prayer marked the moment when the impasse broke—ushering in a revolution in microchip manufacturing. These are the very chips now accelerating AI and reshaping the modern world.
God can, of course, step in and halt humanity’s building projects. That is the heart of the Babel story. Yet here it seems God did not choose to apply the brakes. Instead, He allowed—and perhaps even aided—the acceleration. Without this breakthrough, ASML would have lost funding, and the technological landscape of our world would look very different.
(You can watch the relevant portion of the documentary here.)
A Supernova in a Machine
This does not mean the road ahead is without danger. Every technological advance moves through a fallen world and is therefore vulnerable to corruption. Fear and greed can infect even the most brilliant inventions. Yet there is still a divine purpose at work.
The Gospel is meant to travel at light speed.
The Kingdom of heaven is not threatened by technology. Rather, it rides upon it. Just as the first printing press emerged on the heels of the Reformation, this new “printing press” is arriving amid what will prove to be a global awakening.
Consider one final detail.
The scientists prayed by lighting three candles. Ironically—or perhaps prophetically—the breakthrough they eventually achieved involved generating an extraordinary burst of light. In ASML’s extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process, successive laser pulses strike a microscopic droplet of tin, creating a tiny plasma explosion—something engineers often describe as a “mini-supernova.” For a fraction of a second, this plasma burns hotter than the surface of the sun, releasing the energy needed to generate EUV light and etch unimaginably small images onto silicon.
This was the missing key! And amazingly, the scientist in the video notes that there are specifically three blasts of laser light involved in this breakthrough.
Three Reflections from the Fire
~ A Parable Hidden in the Machine
Just as multiple, coordinated blasts of light were required to generate the power needed for breakthrough (following a moment of prayer marked by three candles), it will take a recovery of Trinitarian revelation to advance the Kingdom into new territory. If the Church is to move with greater authority and clarity, we must rediscover the depth and beauty of Father, Son, and Spirit. Trinitarian theology is not an abstract idea, but a catalytic force.
~ Igniting the Son Within
Those blasts of light produced something astonishing: a miniature “sun” ignited as light struck a piece of earth (tin). In the same way, the Light of the Trinity longs to strike our hearts, producing an explosion of the Son within us. The life and love of Jesus are meant to radiate outward as we encounter the light of God’s Word.
And just as the plasma in the machine burns hotter than the sun itself, Jesus promised that those who abide in Him would do greater works than him! Not by effort, but by participation in the Spirit’s life.
~ Becoming Vessels of Light
Like those bursts of light, we ourselves become vessels of light. We are invited to co-create with God—receiving illumination and then releasing it outward.
This includes the faithful use of technology.
God desires to infuse technology itself with the Light of the Trinity, so that people across the world may hear truth and receive life. Microchips—AI systems, smartphones, computers—can become conduits of revelation rather than distortion. They can amplify truth rather than noise.
Where is Jesus Hiding?
The first two reflections above are examples of discovering the riddle of the Gospel hidden within the world—even within engineering and technology. This is the vision behind Elisha’s Riddle: cultivating spiritual eyesight to perceive Christ and the Kingdom woven into creation.
Where do you see Jesus hiding in the world around you?
Regarding the third point about our call to become vessels of light—I encourage you to explore our recent Advance Course, which offers a practical pathway for releasing light in the same way Jesus did—through union, love, and participation in the life of God.