Before the presents were handed out to the hundreds of children inside City Church's St. Anthony's Community Center, Pastor Ryan Macdonald reminded the families gathered in the gym why there is a yearly Christmas celebration.
He shared from Matthew 1:20-24. The passage where Joseph learns that Mary will conceive a child through the Holy Spirit is a bit of stunning news that Joseph took some time to consider after an angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. Macdonald said Joseph was considering the truth.
"The truth that Jesus was coming to the earth," Macdonald said. "The truth is that Jesus is the Christ of Christmas, and he came for you and me. If you go through this season and you don't recognize what Joseph did, he recognized the truth, you'll miss the reason for the season."
Macdonald also thanked the more than a dozen sponsors who provided the funds to buy the presents for the children.
"Let me tell you something: without Jesus, this night's not possible," Macdonald said. "Without Jesus Christ, we couldn't come together like this. Without Jesus Christ, I couldn't go to people and say, 'Hey, will you help us make this night possible?'"
The stage was full of hundreds of toys. One side of the court was lined with 30 bicycles waiting for their new owners, and after Macdonald's message and short prayer, the families lined up in front of the stage to take their turns for the children to pick out their own presents. The church compiled a list of children who were getting bikes.
The night included face painting, games, pictures with Santa, hot chili, and basketball.
Photos by Howard Owens.
