When Jesus came to Galilee, he began his preaching with the message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And the expectations of the people soared to heights not known since Solomon. They had been oppressed, depressed, distressed, and had been waiting for the day when from their midst a hero would arise to lay a left hook on the jaw of the hated Roman Empire, restore the glory of the dim and distant yesteryear, and make those good things happen that the prophets had foretold. The land should bloom again, poverty should be exchanged for prosperity, and swords should be beaten into plowshares.

So there were fishermen who dropped their nets and followed him. There were zealots who became excited at the prospect of the kingdom, a tax collector closed his booth and invested his stock in this new opportunity. People brought their sick to him, the pained, the paralytic, and the infirm, for as he preached the gospel of the kingdom, he healed them of their diseases, and cast out demons. His fame spread southward to Jerusalem and north to Syria. The skies were bright with promise.

We can understand the mood. We have heard the promise that prosperity is just around the corner. We have heard the bands strike up the tune, "Happy Days Are Here Again." We have been given the assurance of a great society, a generation of peace, and the great things that should happen because the torch was passed to a generation that places great value on "change." We scan the headlines, watching for the breakthrough that might promise cures for our diseases, aches, and pains, or much-needed reform of the broken healthcare system. We cheer the tax reform that promises more disposable income. As someone once or twice was known to say, "Progress is our most important product," and we are on the move.

But as our expectations soar, disappointment deepens. Visions of the Kingdom evaporate. Ideals dampen to realities. The mood of the Emmaus disciples takes hold again. "We had hoped ..."