In the days leading up to Christmas, folks in our religious tradition often imagine the biblical characters of Joseph and Mary traveling; Mary,  nine months pregnant, seated sideways on a donkey as Joseph walks ahead, leading them step by step toward the small town of Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem in what is modern-day Palestine. Mary, pregnant out of wedlock, and Joseph find themselves both physically and socially vulnerable. This is the humble context from which our Christmas story emerges.