When I think of Mary and Joseph, the first word that comes to me is strength. Strength for Joseph to raise the child as his own, strength for Mary, the unwed mother to be. Strength to ride from Galilee to Bethlehem (90 miles, ten miles a day). Strength to get there and everywhere is full. Strength for judgement from others- Gabriel spoke to these two individually, he didn’t announce the plan on social media. Their story always reminds me that “we don’t know what we don’t know.” Advent is all about strength.