Ep. 63 Discovering the Spirit of Christmas | Cynthia Ruchti

Who’s your favorite character in the Christmas story? Mary or Joseph? The shepherds? The wise men? Maybe even Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas? This Advent, discover a character you may have missed—the gentle, steady movement of the Holy Spirit, woven through every scene of Jesus’ birth. In this episode, I’m joined by Cynthia Ruchti, author of the Advent devotional The Spirit of Christmas. Cynthia set out on a Scripture-wide adventure, asking, Where has the Holy Spirit been throughout the Old and New Testaments? What she found surprised her: the Holy Spirit is everywhere—quietly, faithfully present. From her devotional, Cynthia writes: "When we think of the first Christmas, we often focus on the wide-eyed young mother and her faithful fiance, on tattered shepherds and singing angels and road-weary wise men. But the Holy Spirit was there--and just as He hovered over the waters in the beginning, He hovers over every page of the Christmas Story.  In our conversation, we explore: Cynthia's journey from perfectionism to being present Legacy, faith, and the impact of prayers that go unanswered for a long time What Advent truly means The roles and personality of the Holy Spirit How to open your heart to the Holy Spirit during the Christmas season The fruits of the Spirit and how they shape our experience of Christmas A preview of our December mini-series focused on the Spirit of Christmas If your Christmas tends to feel more chaotic than calm, this episode is your invitation to slow down and go on a treasure hunt for the Spirit of Christmas. This Advent, “open your eyes to the not-so-hidden presence of the Holy Spirit” and let His staying Presence keep you present. 💬 Grace Quotes from Cynthia Ruchti: “The Holy Spirit is Emmanuel who never leaves.” "There's so much dark this time of year, in us and around us. And that's exactly the reason why our paying attention to where the Holy Spirit is in this story is what's going to make a difference as we lead up to Christmas." "If the Holy Spirit stayed for Mary, then won't He stay for us too?" Scripture Mentioned: 2 Corinthians 13:14 "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." Resources Mentioned: 🎄Cynthia's The Roles of the Holy Spirit downloadable 🎄Jennifer's Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas downloadable 🎄An excerpt from Cynthia's devotional The Spirit of Christmas 🎄Cynthia's book, The Spirit of Christmas 🎶 Cynthia's go-to grace song: Worthy of It All by CeCe Winans Connect with Cynthia Ruchti: Website: cynthiaruchti.com Instagram: cynthiaruchtiauthor Facebook: cynthiaruchti   Related Episodes: Ep. 14 Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas Ep. 22 Beyond Entertaining: Practicing Grace as Hospitality in Action | Sue Donaldson Ep. 23 The Grace of Surrender: Practicing Hospitality | Sue Donaldson Stay Connected with Jennifer Sakata: 🎁 My FREE gift to you: Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas 📩 Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content & episode updates ⭐ If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with a friend!