After-feast of the Nativity of Christ. The head of the Metropolitan District celebrated the Liturgy at the Sorrow Church of the Southern Capital

January 10, 2024 is the after-feast of the Nativity of Christ, the day of remembrance of 20,000 martyrs, victims in Nicomedia.давших.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Sorrow Church in Almaty.

Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan were: the dean of Almaty churches, the rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest Valery Zakharov; rector of the Alma-Ata Church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Archpriest Evgeny Vorobyov, cleric of the Nativity Cathedral Archpriest Alexander Gaichenya, rector of the Epiphany Church Archpriest Valery Shavrin, dean of the Ili church district Archpriest Alexander Zyryanov, rector of the Nativity of the Virgin Church of the Akzhar microdistrict Hieromonk Alexy (Cherevtsov), head of the administrative secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District, Priest Georgy Sidorov, Priest Vladimir Savvin, sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral of Almaty, Priest Georgy Rublinsky; Protodeacon Nikolai Grinkevich, head of the Metropolitan Protocol Service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky, Deacon Bogdan Boyko, Deacon John Churkin, Deacon Sergiy Slesarchuk.

The chants were performed by the temple choir under the direction of O. Solomonova.

His Eminence offered prayers for the increase of love and the eradication of all hatred and malice.

At the end of the Liturgy, glorification of the Nativity of Christ took place: the clergy, choir and believers performed the troparion, kontakion and magnification of the holiday.

The head of the Metropolitan District addressed those gathered with words of congratulations and an archpastoral sermon.

At the end of the service, accompanied by the vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop Claudian of Taldykorgan, the Sorrow Church was visited by a delegation of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Upon arrival, the guests bowed to the temple shrines and congratulated those present on the holiday of the Nativity of Christ.

“The all-generous God, in His great mercy, has once again given us the joy of celebrating the Nativity of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Having gathered in churches, we gratefully sing with the angels the heavenly song “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward mankind!”, glorifying the Savior for the greatness of His deeds and incomprehensible love for the human race. Participating in church services, we are mysteriously transported to Bethlehem, where the greatest miracle of all human history took place: “God appeared in the flesh”, the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born in the city of David. According to the Creator's plan, the original purpose of man is deification, eternal blissful life in a gracious union with God. But of his own free will, at the dawn of history, man left this path, became a slave of sin and death, he himself could no longer return to pristine purity and holiness. Moved by compassion for His creation, the Creator came to earth, took upon Himself human nature, “emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men.” The Incarnation of the Son of God and the subsequent gospel events - earthly life, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Savior - granted all those who believed in Christ eternal life and the opportunity to become, according to the apostolic word, partakers of the Divine nature.” From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.