3/8/26 “The Power of Unplugging”
“The Power of Unplugging”
Colossians 2:13-17
If you went to school back in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or even 90’s.....you are very familiar with this contraption.....the Overhead Projector.
(Show Picture of OHP)
...I think we still have one downstairs here at this church, if I’m not mistaken.
For all of you young people, the overhead projector was used in schools to display printed materials on a wall using transparent sheets laid over a very bright light.
A mirror in the upper arm would reflect light from below forward so that whatever was on the base unit could be displayed on the wall.
These were the precursors to the interactive smartboards that many classrooms use today
So...the beauty of the Overhead Projector was that if a teacher had the unit sitting near a student....there was the opportunity for that student to reach up and place their hand in front of the reflected beam of light...
This would cause a shadow of the student’s hand to appear on the wall....in the form of.....a dog’s snout...or a scissors....or a shark
....students who were talented with their fingers could even produce a bird shadow....I never knew how they did that....
Anyway....producing a hand-generated wall shadow in the middle of a lesson would invariably cause the class to break out in laughter....
However....It was definitely a risky endeavor.
If the teacher did not see you do it....then you were successful in carrying out a small – but highly respected - act of defiance toward the oppressive educational regime.....making you the class hero of the day.
However, if the teacher traced the barking shadow-dog back to your hand, discipline was sure to follow.
Depending on the teacher, it could be anything from “Please don’t do that again”....to “You’ve just earned yourself a detention”...
That’s why it was extremely important to do one’s homework on the general disposition of every teacher....
....the ratio of risk to reward was greatly elevated in STEM classrooms where teachers had no sense of humor whatsoever.
....instant detention.
....then you had the social science teachers who would just role their eyes and be like “please don’t do that again”
...then you had the art teacher who – after catching your shadow shenanigans - joined in with you in making dog shadows on the wall.....praising your creativity.... definitely a low risk – low reward situation.
For the record....your pastor was never caught producing an overhead projector wall shadow in school....there is no evidence of my involvement in such an action whatsoever...
Well....our passage of scripture today also deals with a kind of shadow....a spiritual shadow, so to speak.
These verses from Paul’s letter to the Colossian church focuses on how Jesus Christ has fulfilled the ceremonial and judicial aspects of the Mosaic law.
...something Paul compares to shadows of the real thing.
Paul is teaching that Christians were no longer bound to dietary restrictions....or observing certain holy days or festivals....
Believers in Jesus Christ no longer had to be circumcised....or bring a sacrificial animal to worship services
Verse 14 (Colossians 2:14) says it very plainly, “Having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”
The hundreds of ritualistic and ceremonial restrictions imbedded in the law served as a reminder of how man – in his own strength – could never live in complete obedience to what the law required.
It was impossible.
The Pharisees tried to do it....and they failed miserably!
Paul’s point here is that – because we have all sinned - we are all morally indebted to God....and there is nothing that any of us can do in our own strength to get out from under that sin debt.
The law was meant to teach the Israelites this truth....
Those who humbled themselves, acknowledging their depravity before the Lord were – like the repentant tax collector in the temple – considered righteous....
While those who pridefully attempted to follow the law in their own strength - like the Pharisees – remained condemned under an insurmountable debt of sin.
Paul’s point here in this passage is that Jesus has taken that sin debt upon himself for anyone who humbly comes to him in repentance and faith
The OT saints didn’t yet know the identity of the prophesied suffering servant who would take away their debt of sin....
but we do know his name.....And is name is Jesus....Amen?
....and because Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial and judicial components of the law through His death on the cross..
...We are no longer commanded to submit to these ritualistic restrictions...
Rather, we are commanded to submit to Christ....and His law of obedience manifested through our love for God....and love for others.
If you recall, last week we began looking at the Sabbath...
....and how it sometimes gets misconstrued as to whether keeping the Sabbath belongs with God’s unchanging moral law....
....Or if it belongs with the ceremonial and ritualistic laws that were fulfilled in Christ.
Well....verse 16 (Colossians 2:16) from today’s passage clearly defines where Sabbath observance fits.
It reads, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”
Paul clearly delineates Shabbat (the Sabbath) as falling under the umbrella of ceremonial law....along with the observance of Jewish festivals and dietary restrictions.
These are commands that – as verse 14 puts it – were nailed to the cross with Christ.....they no longer are binding for the church-age believer.
They’re like shadows that were taken away with the resurrection.
Verse 17 (Colossians 2:17) says, “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Getting back to our overhead projector illustration....Ceremonial laws of the OT – like the Sabbath - are like shadowy fingers on the wall pointing to the words themselves on the screen...
In fact...the shadow fingers would all point to one word....
....They would point to the word - Jesus.
Jesus IS our ceremonial festival
Jesus IS our dietary freedom
...and Jesus IS our Sabbath rest.
When Lisa & I were in Hawaii, we learned of something called Lahaina Noon.
This is when – twice a year.....on May 26th and July 16th .... the sun passes directly overhead at a 90 degree angle....
...This causes objects that stand straight up to have no observable shadow.
Flagpoles....telephone poles....human beings...
Any object standing straight up and down will not produce a shadow on those 2 days....
Here’s a picture of a level sitting on edge during Lahaina Noon.
(Show picture of level)
Lahaina Noon in Hawaii is also the time when the sun is directly overhead...it will literally be straight above you.
Using Paul’s analogy...the shadows of Jewish ceremony and ritual observance have disappeared for the Christian....
....because the light of The S.O.N – Jesus Christ – is directly over us.
...The new covenant in His blood has erased the shadowy requirements of ceremony and tradition....
It is submission to Jesus himself that has become the believer’s reality.
Spiritual rest is no longer simply ascribed to Shabbat....but to the Christian’s ongoing rest in Jesus...
Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
We are commanded – first and foremost - to find ultimate rest in a person...rather than in the strict observance of a specific 24-hour period of time.
Hebrews 4:9-10 declares, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.”
The writer of Hebrews is teaching us that our salvation is no longer tied to ceremonial works of obedience....but to faith in the one who can offer us true rest....
...not simply the shadow...but the tangible reality by which the shadow draws its form
Just as God ceased from His creative activity on the seventh day, we too may cease from working toward our salvation by our own effort and strategy.
We are called to find rest in the savior...in Jesus Christ...every day of the week
...with submission to Him as vital on Wednesday as it is on Sunday...
...On Tuesday as it is on Saturday.
For the believer....Every day of every week ought to be saturated with restful submission to Christ....manifested by love for God – and love for others.
Now....that being said.
Even though we are not commanded to observe the Sabbath as the Israelites were under the Mosaic law....
I don’t believe that we should dismiss the practice of ceasing our labor for one day out of the week either.
I just finished reading Charlie Kirk’s final book before his tragic death last Fall....
It’s a book called “Stop in the Name of God”
...and, in the book, Charlie reminds his readers of the importance of following God’s rhythm of creation and rest found way back in the book of Genesis
....of devoting one day each week to strengthening our relationship with Christ...as well as to one another.....
....AND completely resting from jobs, chores, and duties that would threaten to distract us from those spiritual goals.
In his book, Charlie reminds believers today that taking a weekly day of rest – a Sabbath day – is vitally important to maintaining a healthy spiritual equilibrium....
....and the rhythm of 6 days of work followed by one day of rest has been proven to be very beneficial for us physically as well.
We were made to require regular periods of rest...weekly time for one’s mind, body, and soul to take a deep breath and recalibrate...to unplug from the business of life.
We live in a culture that idolizes work.
We do.
We hold in very high esteem those among us who consistently work 60, 70, 80-hour work weeks....
We value the mindset of the individual who holds down 3 jobs, gets 4 hours of sleep each night, and slams 5 energy drinks each day just to stay alert.
We brag about the calendar on our phone that shows our only down time to be when we’re sleeping...
We treat ‘Hurry’ like its a fruit of the Spirit.
Productivity is the golden calf of the modern age.
We say things like “I’ll rest when I’m dead!”
Or....”I’d rather burn out than rust out!”
Some people idolize non-stop work because they also idolize the resulting commodities that wealth can buy...
After all, it’s hard to keep up with your neighbor if your neighbor is making more money than you are...right?
Joe next door just got himself a new gas grill....guess I’d better get a new one too.....but one that’s just a little bigger than Joe’s....
We all know people who’ve fallen into that trap...right?
But....as alluring as wealth & possessions are...I would venture to say that even more people are addicted to work for a completely different reason altogether....
You see, to many, work is a welcome distraction - because it provides a chaotic escape from restful introspection....
....it insulates us from having to think about the spiritual condition of our lives
As Charlie puts it, “Many of us don’t rest, not because we don’t want to, but because the silence exposes things we’d rather avoid – fear, anxiety, a lack of trust. So, we keep moving, convincing ourselves that one day we’ll slow down. But we rarely do.”
Is Charlie describing you this morning?
Do you purposely remain busy 24/7 ?
...Are you afraid that if you slow down, your thoughts may stumble upon a spiritual disconnect in your life?
Later this week, I’ll be conducting 2 separate funerals over in Baraboo...
...and you know, attendance at a funeral is generally very difficult for a workaholic....why?
Because it forces that individual to become unplugged from their life of constant distraction....
Funerals force people to consider their eternal destiny....and for someone who doesn’t take time to ever establish a relationship with Christ....it can definitely be a very scary thought.
Did you realize that the minute you were conceived, you also began to die?
As your cells were multiplying exponentially within your mother’s womb....and parts of your body were being miraculously formed....
....your lifetime clock started to wind down as well.
It’s a clock that many people don’t want to think about...
...therefore the time clock at work becomes much more appealing than
Thinking about the time clock of our lives.
As one person said – we spend countless hours of our lives preparing for things. We prepare for getting a driver’s license....we prepare for college....we prepare for a wedding....we prepare for children....we prepare for retirement....
But many people never prepare for their own death (And I don’t mean visiting the local funeral home to pick out a casket and songs for your memorial service)
I mean prepare for the day that our spirit steps through the doorway of death into eternity.
...And shouldn’t our eternal destiny be the most important thing to prepare for?
...This kind of preparation takes time. It takes intentionality. It takes sacrificing worldly things in order to cultivate a submissive walk of faith with the savior.
Folks, This is where taking a weekly Sabbath day can be so very helpful.
It doesn’t matter what day of the week....Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Friday.
For me, since I work on Sunday, I’ve recently chosen to designate Monday as a Sabbath day.
No work. No chores. No meetings. No work-related phone calls.....and...No Screens.
Folks...we live in a day & age where our smartphones and other personal electronic devices are literally sucking the humanity out of us.
As of 2025, the average American adult spends 7 hours and 4 minutes PER DAY looking at screens, with 4.5 of those hours on a smartphone alone.
People between the ages of 18-29 spend an average of 9 hours per day on a screen!
Is it also any wonder that our young people today are the most anxiety-ridden, sickly, over-medicated, depressed, and suicidal generation to ever walk the earth?
We are more ‘connected’ than ever before, yet we are the most relationally distant than we’ve ever been before.
Now...maybe some of you are like my wife.
She could literally go a week without checking her phone...If she could, she would have a flip-phone, but – like many of us – she needs a smartphone for work.
I really admire her ability to refrain from doom-scrolling on social media or conducting endless Google searches.
But many of you – including myself – spend time on our phones that could be used for much better purposes....
So....If that’s you, I’d like to challenge you today.
If you haven’t already....see if you can go an entire day without looking at your smartphone.
...Treat it like its an old flip-phone....just use it to audibly talk to people.
No social media scrolling...no Google searches...No Amazon orders....No GPS navigation....No pictures being taken or looked at....No weather app checks....No ESPN highlights.....No Candy Crush....you get the point.
Look, screens aren’t inherently evil....but they are easily used by the evil one to distract us from what really is important...
...and the most important things are actual relationships– rather than virtual ones.
Beginning – first and foremost – with your relationship with Christ.
So...If you haven’t already....I hope you begin a healthy habit of taking a Sabbath day each week to rest your body....and rest your soul.
A weekly day of rest isn’t a burden....It’s a divine privilege....modeled for us by God Himself....
And if it’s good enough for God....it should be good enough for us.
I’d like to leave you with one last quote from ‘Stop in the Name of God’
On page 237, Mr Kirk writes this:
“One day, your children will tell their children how you lived. What will they say? That you were always busy, always stressed, always distracted? Or will they say, ‘My father knew how to stop. My mother knew how to delight. They made time for joy. They protected space for God. That’s the legacy Sabbath helps build – not just one of rest, but of witness. In a world that never stops, be the person who knows how to stop well. Not because you’re lazy, but because you trust the Lord of time more than the tyranny of hustle. That’s Sabbath. That’s Freedom. That’s Worship.”
Let’s Pray.
