The Sathya Sai Centre of Atlanta, Georgia, held special programmes in observance of Christmas and Hanukah. On Christmas Eve, Centre members offered prayers and filled 300 grocery bags with fruits, cheese sticks, snack bars, canned food, juices, and sweets. These bags were distributed to the homeless living in a shelter and on the streets. While distributing the food, the volunteers reflected on Sathya Sai Baba’s message that the act of distribution is not charity but service to God, which resonated with Jesus’s words, “When you serve the least of your fellow men, you serve Me.” The devotional programme on Christmas Day began with a reading of stories about Jesus and video footage of one of Swami’s Christmas Day discourses, followed by carol singing. The Jewish holiday of Hanukah was celebrated with the chanting of the Jewish prayer, “Shema Israel.” Volunteers reflected on the significance of the lighting of the Menorah (Jewish lamp), akin to lighting the eternal light within each person. The Young Adults performed a short skit, and two persons dressed as Baba and Jesus made a surprise entrance to distribute candy.
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