I sometimes hear people talk about the people around Jesus as though they were particularly rigid; particularly closed to the new thing Jesus was doing. But it seems to me that every generation is just as rigid – just as inclined to tell God what God can do, where and how God can speak, who God can be.

But if we want to hear the voice of God, we have to let God out of the box. We have to be open to new things.

God speaking through a burning bush – the creator speaking through creation: that was a new thing.

God leading a whole people group out of slavery: that was a new thing.

God speaking through Jesus, who was artist and artwork at once: that was a new thing.

The death and resurrection of the Messiah was a new thing.