There is a new book, which has met with mixed reviews, called Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light by Jane Brox. The "mixed" part is the author's tendency to meander down paths which don't serve her theme well, and that there are other roads not taken which would have been interesting. But the reviews I have read do agree that she makes a persuasive argument that the develop of artificial light was of an importance few of us can truly grasp today. Not long ago I saw a documentary on the 19th century whaling industry and it dawned on me (pun intended) that humans almost drove whales to extinction because we hunted them relentlessly for the oil which lit homes and fueled industry. How our developed world has changed since then.
Quaker author Brent Bill also touches on how artificial light has changed religions, as have other spiritual writers. Maybe God as the the light that dispels the darkness doesn't have as much mystical power in a time when we can extend the equivalent of daylight as long as we choose, whether it is in industrial settings, or our homes, or our places of worship.
Yet there is something about candles lighted for Christmas Eve, or a family gathering around the fire while camping, or a candle light vigil for an important cause that speaks to us in the way a flourescent bulb never will.
Do thoughts come to mind for you about "this little light of mine" as you read this? I know that at least one reader grew up without electricity in her Ottawa Valley home, and she isn't ancient!
What about your experience of mysterious light in worship settings?
As a child, I used to love when the power went out and we had to use candles. There was something about candlelight that seemed to excite me. Now, I also love campfires. I believe part of it has to do with relationship. When you have to light your house by candle or if we are gathered around a campfire, people gather close. They gather around the small light of a candle; they gather around the heat of a campfire. This light brought people together and there are many metaphors with God as light or fire in the midst of relationship.
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