Just Teach Sheets – Seekers December Week 1 2025

Seeker Track – Just Teach Sheet

December Week 1 (2025)
Theme: Advent & Preparation
Focus: The Meaning of Advent and Why Christians Still Wait for Christ
Audience: Seekers, non-Catholics, returning believers, or those exploring Christianity

Weekly Goal

To help seekers understand why Christians still wait for Christ 2,000 years after His birth — and what “Advent” really means.
Advent reveals the Christian view of history: that life is not random but moving toward a final meeting with God.
We will explore the logic of this hope, its biblical foundation, and why Christians see repentance and faith as the right response to it.

What You’ll Need

This sheet

A Bible or online Bible app

Journal for thoughts or questions

A candle or small light for reflection

Opening Prayer (Optional)

Lord Jesus,
if You are real,
if You truly came to save the world and will come again,
help me to know You.
Open my heart to the truth.
Teach me to wait with hope and not fear.
Amen.

Day 1 – What Is Advent?

Teaching:
The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming.”
Christians use these four weeks before Christmas to remember that:

Jesus came into the world as a real human being.

He still comes now, through faith, Scripture, and the Church.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Luke 21:27–28 – “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory… when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”

Apologetic Insight:

“If Jesus came once, why wait again?” → Because evil, suffering, and death are not yet destroyed. Christianity claims that Christ will return to set everything right — not just to judge, but to restore.

“Why prepare?” → Because waiting well changes who we are. Hope trains the heart for eternity.

Reflection:
Advent is not about nostalgia — it’s about destiny.
It says that history has direction and purpose because God has entered it.

Day 2 – The First Coming: God Became Man

Teaching:
Christians believe that in Jesus of Nazareth, God entered the world.
Not as myth or symbol, but as a historical person, fulfilling ancient prophecies.

John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
CCC 456–460: “The Word became flesh to save us… so that we might become partakers of the divine nature.”

Apologetic Insight:

“Isn’t that impossible?” → If God exists, the incarnation is not impossible — it’s consistent with His love. Love always desires to be with the beloved.

“Why as a baby?” → To show that God’s power is love, not domination. He came as one of us to lift us to Himself.

Reflection:
If God truly came near once, then He can come near again — to your life, your doubts, your pain.

Practice:
Read the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:1–20. Ask:

“If this were true, what would it mean for my life?”

Day 3 – The Second Coming: History Has a Goal

Teaching:
The Bible says Jesus will return — not symbolically, but really — to bring justice, mercy, and final restoration.

Acts 1:11 – “This Jesus… will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”
CCC 1040: “The Lord will come to judge the living and the dead.”

Apologetic Insight:

“Isn’t judgment negative?” → Not if you love justice. The final judgment means evil doesn’t win. Every act of love, hidden or forgotten, will be seen and rewarded.

“Why wait so long?” → Because God is patient, allowing time for conversion (2 Peter 3:9).

Reflection:
Christ’s return is not meant to frighten but to focus.
It reminds us that what we do matters eternally.

Practice:
Ask yourself:

What would I want Christ to find in me if He came today?

What do I hope He would forgive?

Day 4 – The Present Coming: God Near Us Now

Teaching:
Christians believe Jesus is not only a figure of the past or future, but present now — through His Spirit, through Scripture, and in the Eucharist.

Matthew 28:20 – “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Apologetic Insight:

“How can He be present if He’s in heaven?” → The Christian claim is that God transcends time and space. In the Eucharist, Catholics believe His Body and Blood become truly present, not symbolically but sacramentally.

“Why the Church?” → Because faith is not a private dream but a shared reality — the Church is the Body of Christ continuing His mission on earth.

Reflection:
You don’t have to be perfect to seek God. Advent is about opening the door.

Practice:
Spend five quiet minutes before a lit candle. Whisper:

“Jesus, if You are near, help me recognise You.”

Day 5 – Hope, Repentance, and the Promise of Joy

Teaching:
Advent joins two attitudes: hope (trusting God’s promises) and repentance (turning from what blocks those promises).
Faith is not blind belief; it’s a decision to trust the One who entered history.

Mark 1:15 – “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
CCC 1817: “Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing.”

Apologetic Insight:

“Why repentance?” → Because love always calls for truth. God doesn’t condemn us to shame but invites us to healing.

“Why hope?” → Because the Christian story doesn’t end in death — it ends in resurrection.

Reflection:
Advent hope is not about pretending life is fine.
It’s about believing that even in the waiting, God is working.

Practice:
Think of one change you long for — in yourself, or the world.
Pray:

“Lord, come into this situation with Your light.”

Weekend Wrap-Up – What We Learned

Advent means coming — Christ came once, comes now, and will come again.

Christianity claims that history has direction and purpose.

The Incarnation makes God knowable and near.

The Second Coming brings justice, mercy, and renewal.

Hope and repentance are the right response to love that seeks us first.

Summary Thought:
The message of Advent is simple and immense: God has come, God still comes, and God will come again.

Journal Prompts

“If God really came into history, what would that say about His love?”

“What stops me from believing that life has purpose?”

“What would hope look like in my life right now?”

Quick Apologetic Reference

QuestionCatholic Response
“Why wait for Jesus after 2000 years?”Because time belongs to God. The delay is mercy — allowing freedom and conversion.
“Isn’t this idea of judgment outdated?”No; it’s the hope of justice for victims and accountability for evil.
“Why do Catholics have rituals and candles?”Signs express realities; light symbolises Christ, who conquers darkness.
“Can’t I just be spiritual without religion?”Christianity is not only belief but communion — with God and His people.
“Why does hope matter?”Without hope, faith withers. Hope keeps the heart open until love arrives.

Catechism & Documents

CCC 456–460 – The Incarnation.

CCC 1040–1041 – The Second Coming and Judgment.

CCC 1817–1821 – The virtue of hope.

Spe Salvi – Benedict XVI on hope.

Gaudium et Spes 45 – Christ the goal of human history.

Further Reading

Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis.

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives – Benedict XVI.

The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel.

The Reason for God – Timothy Keller.

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith – Bishop Robert Barron.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You came once in humility and will come again in glory.
Teach me to wait with hope,
to seek truth with courage,
and to live each day open to Your presence.
If You are real, reveal Yourself to me in this waiting.
Amen.