Please join us this morning for our annual Christmas Party following the service. The Sunday School children will perform and we hope that Santa Claus will make an appearance! Our Christmas Choir will also be on stage. The program will be followed by Christmas caroling and brunch on the back patio.
Christmas cards for the monastics are available for signing after the service today, outside the chapel.
This evening’s meditation will be with kirtan from 5 to 9 p.m., in preparation for the All-Day Christmas Meditation. There will be chanting on the hour, and devotees may quietly enter or exit the chapel during the chanting.
Many years ago, Paramahansa Yogananda established the custom of commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ by dedicating an entire day of the Christmas season to meditation and divine communion with Christ. The All-Day Christmas Meditation is on Saturday, December 14, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. It is traditional to bring devotional offerings of fruit and a monetary donation. The fruit symbolizes the devotee’s love for Christ, Krishna, and the line of SRF Gurus. The donation is a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness to the cause of Self-Realization Fellowship. Plan to arrive a little early so you will have time to get comfortably settled before the meditation begins, and remember to dress in layers for warmth, as the temperature in the chapel may be cool. Please note: Anyone with a cough or cold should not attend the meditation.
The following Saturday, December 21, we will host a 6-hour member-led meditation with kirtan from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a break from 11 to 11:30.
We will not have a Day of Service in December.
A note from the Encinitas Temple: In order to allow the Encinitas Ashram Center personnel to participate in Christmas observances, the Encinitas Retreat and meditation gardens will be closed on Monday, December 23, and Wednesday, December 25.
And on Wednesday, December 25, our evening meditation service is canceled.
These weekly announcements also can be found on the back bulletin board.
The topic this morning is Receiving God’s Answers to Your Prayers.