Kinlochleven Church - the next service is on Sunday, 22 June at 10.00 am led by the Rev. Marion Kinnear.
Duror Church - the next service is on Sunday 22 June at 10.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
Nether Lochaber Church - the next service is on Sunday 6 July at 11.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
South Lochaber Parish :
Bible Study - meeting at Melville's house on 24 June at 10.45. Led by Tony Walters.
Bible Study - Kinlochleven at 11.00 am. on Friday 20 June at 11.00 am.
Sunday 15 June 2025 South Lochaber Church - available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/LmXnh3hwXRg
Opening Verse ‘ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.’ (2 Corinthians 13:14)
Hymn
I hear the words of love;
I gaze upon the blood;
I see the mighty sacrifice,
and I have peace with God.
’Tis everlasting peace,
sure as Jehovah’s name;
’tis stable as His steadfast throne,
forevermore the same.
Prayer God of power and love, the world belongs to you, and all its people. Help me know that I am yours and Christ is mine. Amen.
Bible Reading Romans 5: 1-5 Therefore, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom by faith we have been given access to this grace in which we now live, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we realize that suffering develops perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Such hope will not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Message When castles were built in past times, great care was taken to control entry to them. Inverlochy Castle had a moat surrounding it at one time, and that meant the drawbridge could quickly be removed. Som castles had a reinforced entry building, a barbican or gatehouse. Dunstaffnage Castle near Oban had this and was built with the sea protecting three sides to it. Mostly people have used locks and keys to control access to properties. Becoming an adult, age 21, is traditionally associated with getting a key to the door of the house.
Through Christ we have access to the grace and to the presence of God who loves us and cares for us. We have been welcomed and accepted, and introduced or brought into friendship with God.
Through embracing Christ as Saviour, our past misdeeds are forgiven. We are justified, meaning we are counted as righteous in God’s sight. This is not because of our good deeds, but solely because of Christ’s righteousness which is applied to us. The past is dealt with, and our past sins can no longer be held against us. We are freely forgiven, received, accepted as righteous. There is a present dimension, that we enjoy a friendship with God. There is a future aspect to this. We have an eternal security. Life may throw much at us, but through the blood of Christ shed for us on the cross there is a blood-sealed friendship with God that never fails. We have been given the Holy Spirit which is a sign and a pledge of future blessings and joy.
Christian experience is said to be ‘trinitarian’ because we experience God as three persons, Father Son and Holy Spirit. The term comes from a Latin word ‘trinus’ that means threeness or threefold. The shamrock, with its three conjoined leaves is a good illustration of this.
God the Father sent his Son that we might become the children of God. He sends his Spirit to help us experience this. The Shorter Catechism asks 'How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?' The answer is 'We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ by the effectual application of it to us by His Holy Spirit'. The next questions and answers in the Catechism speak of the Spirit 'applying that redemption to us by working faith in us, uniting us to Christ…. convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ and renewing our wills, He persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ who is freely offered to us in the gospel.' Faith comes through hearing, and hearing the Word of God, so the Bible is very important.
The experience of God through worship, prayer and personal discipleship should create Christian character, perseverance, bravery and determination, and effort of will. Through life’s challenges God gives us these qualities, and the outcome is ‘approvedness’. People see in us the mark of quality men and women.
Prayer Thank you Father for minds enlightened, and for wills renewed, in Jesus’ name. Amen.