16 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. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you.Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.REFLECTIONSWritten by Mei ChanImagine you’re about to cut into a steak. But it’s not any steak – it’s a Grade 5 piece of wagyu beef. I’ve never tried any kind of wagyu steak, but I imagine that if I ever do, it would be hard to go back to a sizzle steak from Coles! We’ve just read Paul describing to the Colossians all about Christ being the fullness of the Deity. Jesus is God in the flesh!Every bit of God’s perfect, holy, merciful, loving, righteous nature, dwells in Jesus – and of course it does, because Jesus isGod. And through him, we have been saved from the judgement that our sins deserve.  But now, Paul warns the Colossians: don’t go beyond Christ. Don’t let others judge or disqualify your faith because of what they think “true spirituality” looks like – whether it’s related to food, religious ritual or false worship. It’s like Paul is saying, “You’ve tasted the wagyu! Don’t go back to the sizzle steaks!” Jesus is the first and the last, the one in whom all things hold together, the one who has the supremacy, and the head of the church – so don’t depend on clever philosophies or human rituals. These are the shadow – he is the reality. Remember Christ, and that in him alone, you are reconciled to God.I often need to hear this reminder in my life! Not that I struggle with New Moon celebrations or worship of angels, but so often I’m tempted to go beyond Christ and depend on my own measures of spirituality – for example, whether I’ve felt “close” or “connected” with God lately. May we keep reminding each other to not go beyond Christ, but to keep depending on his finished work at the Cross in our lives.ABOUT THE AUTHORMei is a member of our Fairfield Morning Congregation.