Christmas message Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan

Your Eminences and Graces!
All-honorable fathers, dear brothers and sisters, inhabitants of the land of Kazakhstan!

We celebrate the greatest event in world history today - the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ancient prophecies were fulfilled - the Sun of righteousness illuminated the universe, “the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:78,79).

Now our hearts are filled with jubilation and joy, because with our inner spiritual gaze we have seen the Nativity of Christ and we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). Together with the angels we glorify the Divine Infant with songs of praise, with the humble shepherds we bow before the Bethlehem manger, with the righteous Joseph we marvel at the great miracle, like the wise men, we hasten to bring our gifts to the newborn Christ the King - the fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8) , work produced by faith and labor prompted by love (1 Thess. 1:3).

"God! Bow down your heavens and come down” (Ps. 143:5), - this is how people have prayed for centuries, suffering from separation from God. At the dawn of time, through the first man who disobeyed the Creator and fell away from the Source of eternal life, evil entered the world and sin began to reign on earth. But everything that the first man failed to accomplish was accomplished for him by God Himself incarnate - the Word became flesh (John 1:14), Christ born of the Most Blessed Virgin. He became the new Adam, the ancestor of humanity reborn through faith, as the Holy Scripture testifies to this: “The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man is of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47). God, once forced out of the human soul and from the material world by the disobedience of the primordial Adam, now returns to the universe with His incarnation and illuminates human hearts with the light of reason.

The Nativity of Christ, which changed the course of time and united Heaven with earth, according to God's plan, became the beginning of the personal spiritual birth and renewal of every person. Through the Incarnation he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). “For this purpose, the Word of God became man and the Son of God became the Son of Man, so that a person, accepted into the Word and received adoption, could become the son of God,” reveals this thought by Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century). The gracious transformation of human nature, which began in those ancient gospel events, continues in history from generation to generation. Again and again the mysterious appearance of Christ the Giver of Life occurs in the depths of believing hearts. We talk with the Savior in prayer, we stand before Him during worship in church, we unite with the incarnate God in the sacrament of the Eucharist, we hear and read the ever-living words of the Lord, captured in the Holy Scriptures, we meet Christ in our neighbors when we extend a helping hand to the disadvantaged and We warm the suffering with the warmth of our souls.

During Christmas services, the words of the angelic song are heard repeatedly: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!” (Luke 2:14). "God bless! Peace to the people! Glory to God, who rewards forgiveness. Peace to people who are obedient to the teaching and grace of the Savior,” St. Philaret (Drozdov) briefly explains the meaning of this sublime chant. Only there is peace, tranquility and silence of the soul established, there is fidelity to the commandments and obedience to God. The deep cause of all disasters and misfortunes, all disorder and conflicts in human society is rooted in the oblivion of the Creator and His spiritual laws, which lie at the basis of the universe. Only the return of people to God can defeat cruelty and hatred, only the light of faith can dispel the moral darkness spreading today among countries and people. The light of the Nativity of Christ gives us the strength to act in great and small ways according to the commandments of the Gospel and inspires us to live in goodness and love. Strengthened by the grace of the Savior, let us drive out envy and irritation from our hearts, stop slander and condemnation, become friendlier and more patient towards the people around us, and reconcile those at war. Worshiping the Divine Infant Christ lying in a manger, let us pray to Him for the peace of the whole world, also that we ourselves, according to the apostolic commandment, “have peace with everyone and holiness” (Heb. 12:14).

Scripture testifies about the Lord Jesus Christ: “He went around doing good” (Acts 10:38), so you and I need to imitate Him, our Creator and Savior, according to our strengths and capabilities, but with a burning heart, performing good deeds. Just as the Infant of God, born of the Most Holy Virgin, showed us true mercy and immeasurable condescension towards our weaknesses and shortcomings, so we must be merciful and condescending towards people. We are called to imitate Christ in love, always having in our thoughts the benefit of our neighbors, the well-being of our country - blessed Kazakhstan and the good of our native Orthodox Church. Each of us, by doing good deeds, is capable of at least to a small extent changing the surrounding reality for the better, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome (John 1:5).

I heartily congratulate you on the holiday of peace and God’s love and I prayerfully ask Christ for spiritual and physical strength for all of us, so that by personal example we may always testify before those near and far about the Divine Child now born in the city of Bethlehem, Who is the way and the truth and the life (John. 14:6).

Happy Christmas and New Year!

Christ is born - praise!
Christ from Heaven - welcome!

HEAD OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF KAZAKHSTAN

METROPOLITAN OF ASTANAI AND KAZAKHSTAN

January 7, 2024, Almaty city