In this episode of the Cosmic Car Wash Podcast, Paul and Rick discuss their ongoing journey through the Gospel of John. They dive deep into the context of the Last Supper, focusing on how Jesus fundamentally redefined the Passover tradition into the Lord's Supper while preparing his disciples for life after his imminent crucifixion.

The conversation shifts to a reflection on a Wild At Heart podcast from March 2020 about "Expecting The Wonderful" and the literal resurrection and renewal of the earth, contrasting it with traditional, escapist views of the rapture. They emphasize that the Kingdom of God is a present reality meant to transform the human heart rather than just an event in the distant future. Finally, they compare the responses of Martha and Judas at a dinner with Jesus, illustrating how true proximity to God is measured by a grateful heart and a willingness to serve rather than external position

• The Core Theme: Rick and Paul explore John 17:20–23, discussing the "thermonuclear" reality of a believer's absolute life union with Christ. Through faith (Greek: pistis), humans bring nothing to the table, yet God grants them His exact glory and oneness.

• The Parable of the Talents: They reframe the parable, noting that the master gave the servants his very "existence," meaning the servant who buried his talent was flippantly declaring the master dead to him.

• The Great Renewal (Palingenesia): The hosts reject the idea of escaping to outer space via a rapture. Instead, they emphasize that God is obsessed with His "dirt creatures" and His creation; the true gospel hope is Jesus returning to physically restore and renew the earth.

• The Empty Tomb: Rick highlights John 20:7, noting that Jesus carefully folding His burial face cloth was a deliberate, prophetic declaration: He folded up death so He could unfold heaven.

• The Final Message: Christianity should not be driven by fear or self-deprecation, because God is not mad at humanity—He is passionately pursuing them.

Continuing our slow walk through the gospel of John, we explore how the message of the coming Renewal of All Things (the Palingenesia) impacts the big and little disappointments we all deal with day to day. It changes the way we live and the way we see God. We spend so much time asking for His presence and we focus on getting Jesus into our heart, but the whole message of the Gospel is about God getting us into His heart. He's a good Father and He withholds nothing from those who love Him. Come along with us on this journey into the heart of the Father.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day⁠License code: BPBCG8MCUHLZNOX7

What a powerful conversation and a revealing look at the heart of our amazing God! Through our exploration of a few stories at the end of the gospel of Luke and the beginning of the gospel of John, in Jesus we encounter the God who delights to surprise us and invite us into the amazing story He's been telling since He created the universe. Thank you for joining us on this! Please like, comment, and share...and let us know what you think about the refreshed logo, format, and music.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: BPBCG8MCUHLZNOX7

Don't call it a comeback because we never left! We just took time off because life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Diving in and picking up where we left off, we build off what God has been showing us in our daily devotions through the gospel of Luke. From Jesus weeping uncontrollably as He entered Jerusalem to our need to give up the self-life, we do what we do, we talk about the Kingdom of God. Thanks for joining us. Like, comment, and share. Let's reach the whole world for Jesus as quickly as possible.

This is exactly the episode we needed to hear. Hopefully you feel the same. John Eldredge said, "We live in a love story set in a world at war." How do we maintain our pursuit of Jesus and His Kingdom in the middle of the war story with which we're all quite familiar? With all these competing interests, what does it look like to push everything else aside and run for Jesus like the only one who can sustain us. So as not to bury the lead, it requires daily connection with Jesus and with others who love Him like you do. Thank you for coming along with us on this, our 79th episode. (Still a little ways from 100.) If you like what you heard, feel free to leave comments or find either of us in the YouVersion Bible app or Bible.com.

Starting with Acts 17:28 we go on an exploration of what it means to live, move, have our being, exist, and find our identity in Jesus Christ. Paul borrowed this concept from two, at the time, well known Greek philosophers, Aratus and Cleanthus. Paul realized that Jesus is the integrating force of the entire universe and he worked with the contemporary language of his day to help his audiences understand this. Now, 2000 years or so later, how are we to understand this and live into it? We're not scholars or theologians, but this is what we dive into in this episode.

The wilderness. It's often lonely, trying, and humbling. We've all been there in some form or fashion, whether it's estrangement from loved ones, the feeling that God is a million miles away, or just a crisis of faith that pushes us to our soul's breaking point. What can we learn from Moses, David, Elijah, and Jesus in their wilderness experiences? In this episode Rick shares stories of his own times in the wilderness and we pull out some beautiful lessons and even more lovely reminders that even when we feel lost and like we're wandering in a wasteland, God promised to never leave us or forsake us. We're never truly alone. Let's go into the wild together.