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A Musical Advent As the Communications Director for Haymarket Church, I get the opportunity to see and read all of the Advent (and also Lent) devotional entries before anyone else. Well, Pastor Brian receives some of them via email before I do … but you get the... 
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“A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will sprout from his roots. The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of planning... 
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Christmas Breakfast When I think of Christmas, I think of breakfast. Since I was little, the most central element of my family’s Christmas celebration has been eating a big breakfast together on Christmas morning. When I was young, it drove me crazy. We’d come... 
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Were there Hobbits at the Nativity? It is no secret in the Bryden household that J.R.R. Tolkien (of the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Silmarillion fame) is my favorite author. While I am not an avid reader, I couldn’t put his books down once I started – with the... 
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On Sunday in worship, our preacher, Rev. Shannon Hendricks, preached about the story of Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1:26-56). In her sermon, she referenced a song called “The Canticle of the Turning.” This song is a reinterpretation of the song Mary sings in... 
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The Rebel Jesus One of my favorite Christmas songs is Jackson Browne’s “The Rebel Jesus.” It’s not quite a traditional song, but every year, when it’s time for us to start reading Chapter 1 of Luke, there’s something about this song that just – well, I think this... 