For the #proper02 #christmas reading, I can't help but think about how #israel was OCCUPIED TERRITORY as they AWAITED the promised redeemer / king. #Jerusalem posted sentinels & hoped their grain wouldn't be stolen by the occupiers (Isaiah 62:6-12)... The #LORD is king, especially over the foreign/ #pagan gods. (Psalm 97) ... And the #gospel #pericope references the emperor's decree for mandatory inconvenient travel (Luke 2:1-20). #expectantWaiting #advent #lectionary https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=6