Send us a text Advent isn’t a glossy postcard here; it’s a story told under the stare of a fortress and the echo of marching boots. We open the Nativity in the time of Herod and Rome, where fear, taxes, and crushed revolts shape daily life—and where lament becomes a holy practice of agreeing with God that the world is not as it should be. From Zechariah’s once‑in‑a‑lifetime temple moment to Mary’s dangerous “yes” in Galilee, we follow the threads of personal shame, public pressure, and prophe...