One thing about Advent is that it recalls for us a time before Jesus was here, and a time when He will come again. 
Long ago, Archbishop of Jerusalem, Cyril gave a great lesson on that topic, so please read below from the Catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem, 315-386 A.D. I especially like the strong connections Bp. Cyril makes between the two Advents of Christ
We preach not one coming only of Jesus Christ, but a second also,
far more glorious than the first. The first revealed the meaning of
His patient endurance; the second brings with it the crown of the
divine kingdom.
Generally speaking, everything that concerns our
Lord Jesus Christ is twofold. His birth is twofold: one, of God before
time began; the other, of the Virgin in the fulness of time. His
descent is twofold: one, unperceived like the dew falling on the
fleece; the other, before the eyes of all, is yet to happen.
In
His first coming He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger. In
His second coming He is clothed with light as with a garment. In His
first coming he bore the cross, despising its shame; He will come a
second time in glory accompanied by the hosts of angels.
It is
not enough for us, then, to be content with His first coming; we must
wait in hope of His second coming. What we said at His first coming,
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”, we shall repeat at
His last coming. Running out with the angels to meet the Master we
shall cry out in adoration, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the
Lord’.
The Savior will come not to be judged again but to call
to judgment those who called Him to judgment. He who was silent when
He was first judged, will indict the malefactors who dared to
perpetrate the outrage of the cross, and say, ‘These things you did and
I was silent’.
He first came in the order of divine providence
to teach men by gentle persuasion; but when He comes again they will,
whether they wish it or not, be subjected to His kingship.
The
prophet Malachi has something to say about each of these comings. ‘The
Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple’. That is the
first coming.
Again, of the second coming he says, ‘And the
angel of the covenant whom you seek. Behold, the Lord almighty will
come: but who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when
he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap; he
will sit like a refiners and a purifier’. Paul pointed to the two
comings when he wrote to Titus, ‘The grace of God has appeared for the
salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly
passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in the glory of
our great God and Savior Jesus Christ’. You see how he has spoken of
the first coming, for which he gives thanks, and of the second to which
we look forward.
Hence it is that by the faith we profess, which
has just been handed on to you, we believe in him ‘who ascended into
heaven and took his seat at the right hand of the Father. He will come
again in glory to judge the living and the dead; and his kingdom will
have no end’.
Our Lord Jesus Christ will, then, come from
heaven. He will come in glory at the end of this world on the last
day. Then there will be an end to this world, and this created world
will be made new.
That's one of my favorite things about Advent: the reminder that Jesus isn't finished with this world; that he will come again to make all things new. Even when everything in this world seems completely rotten, we have reason for hope.
Posted by: BruceA | December 04, 2008 at 12:50 AM
That's one of my favorite things about Advent: the reminder that Jesus isn't finished with this world; that he will come again to make all things new. Even when everything in this world seems completely rotten, we have reason for hope.
Posted by: BruceA | December 04, 2008 at 12:54 AM