PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mary, Joseph, a donkey and more than two dozen carolers took to the streets of Old City on Christmas Eve evening, asking neighbors for a place the couple could stay. It was a re-enactment of the first Christmas.
"Unfortunately, a lot of people see Christmas as, like, gifts and stuff like that, but this is real life. It really did happen," said Ibukun, who played Mary. "And I hope that this can just bring hope alive, and everybody believes the story of Jesus."
Mary, Joseph and their donkey are walking through old city Philly looking for a place to stay. So far they are having no luck. Stay posted. I’ll let u know how this story ends. @KYWNewsradio #ChristmasEve #Christmas pic.twitter.com/uTSdwIXEc3
— Justin Udo (@JustinUdo)
December 24, 2019 Her husband, Folushu, played Joseph.
"I think it's important for other people to see that Christmas is all about Jesus, and that in the process he is the king of kings, and he was actually born in a manger," he said.
After being turned away from a number of homes on their route, the couple found rest at a manger at Old First United Church of Christ, at Race and 4th streets, where they were joined by their infant son, Dotun, who played the part of baby Jesus.
"You can go all through Christmas and barely know, kinda, the story of Jesus' birth," said Michael Caine, the pastor at Old First United Church of Christ.
He says there's a very important message he wants spectators to take away from witnessing the re-enactment.
"If nothing else, we'd like to try to do our part to make sure that people rehearse the story in their own lives, right? That they remember this ancient story, they wonder what it means in our world today and for them, and hopefully begin to understand — for us, particularlay, I mean, because the urban core have been so important to the ministry here — that God's love at Christmas reminds us that there are all kinds of people in this world that don't find room at the inn. And, as Christians, it's our responsibility to recognize them, to recognize their homelessness, and then help them find space."
