It seems clear that the early church expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. After all, Jesus says in our reading from Mark, “Truly, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” However, Jesus’s return did not happen as they had expected. Yet, this disappointment didn’t lead to the death of the church, but rather to its thriving. How might we understand Jesus’s words some 2,000 years later? And how can we respond well when our hopes and expectations are unfulfilled? For the First Sunday of Advent, Pastor David preaches “A New Hope and Expectation” based on Mark 12:26-34.