Bethlehem was the prophesied birth place of Israel’s promised king.  The only problem is the parents lived in Nazareth.  So another king made an inconvenient rule about a tax census. Go back to your family town to register.  For a pregnant mother this is a bad plan.  We fret about inconveniences caused by politics and other unpleasant things.  Life’s inconveniences may be working more than patience in us. The Lord of history may again be about to break into our lives by what we fuss about.

“Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.  This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.  Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.” Luke 2:1-5 (NASB)