Metropolitan Alexander Celebrated the Great Vespers of Christmas in the Main Cathedral of Almaty

On January 7, 2025, in the evening of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Great Vespers of Christmas at the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

Serving alongside the head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were the vicars of the Astana Diocese—Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan and Bishop Benjamin of Talgar; the dean of the parishes of the southern capital, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; heads of the departments and commissions of the Metropolitan District; rectors and clergy of Almaty’s churches.

In attendance at the service were the abbess of the Iveron-Seraphim Convent in Almaty, Hegumeness Lyubov (Yakushkina), along with the sisters of the monastery, and parishioners of the southern capital’s churches.

In accordance with the liturgical typikon, after the singing of O Gladsome Light, the Great Prokeimenon was chanted. The head of the Metropolitan District then read a passage from the Gospel of Luke about the Nativity of the Savior.

At the conclusion of the Great Vespers, Archpriest Eugene Ivanov, head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District, proclaimed the Nativity Epistle of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan.

After the service, Bishop Claudian, on behalf of the clergy and laity, extended congratulations to His Eminence on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan offered his congratulations to the archpastors, clergy, monastics, and laity, expressing gratitude to all present for the shared joy of prayer at the start of the festive season. He also delivered a sermon.

Among the attendees was the head of the Department of Religious Affairs of Almaty, Nurlan Medsantovich Kikimov. On behalf of the Akim of the southern capital, Yerbolat Dosaev, he conveyed a message of congratulations on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ to those gathered for the service.

“This bright and joyful holiday reveals to us the great truth about God: the Creator of the universe did not wish to remain apart from His creation but entered the world He had made. ‘Not a mediator nor an angel, but You Yourself, O Lord, became incarnate and saved me entirely, a human being,’ thus sings the Holy Church about the mystery of the Incarnation that has been fulfilled today. For millennia, the Church has testified to the Incarnation: the Eternal God, without ceasing to be God, became man. In His Incarnation, God assumed human nature, and thus, He knows our physical pain, the bitterness of betrayal, and the anguish of death. God lived among us, He suffered and died on the Cross ‘for our salvation.’ He rose again, conquering death and opening the way for each of His faithful disciples to follow—through suffering to glory and eternal life. The Church teaches: if God is not born in your soul, then He was not born in Bethlehem for you. But what are the signs of God’s birth in a human soul? Let us recall the heavenly angelic hymn sung on that holy and distant Christmas night: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men’ (Luke 2:14).

The sign of God’s birth in a believer’s soul is the establishment of peace within. Peace—holy, grace-filled, divine peace—descends into the soul of everyone who accepts Christ. And if the true ‘peace of Christ’ dwells in the believing soul, then pride and self-love, suspicion and envy, the desire for revenge and humiliation of others—all that is inherent to fallen human nature—depart. For this reason, the Orthodox faithful have always regarded the Christmas holidays as a grace-filled time for forgiving offenses and reconciling with neighbors. Let us follow this holy tradition—may our Christmas gifts to one another testify to our mutual love and willingness to walk the path of Christ.” — From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.