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:

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.

“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?"

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."

🎄Cynthia's The Roles of the Holy Spirit downloadable

🎶 Cynthia's go-to grace song: Worthy of It All by CeCe Winans

Website: cynthiaruchti.com

Ep. 14 Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas

🎁 My FREE gift to you: Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas