Kinlochleven Church - the next service is on Sunday 7 December at 10.00 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
Duror Church - the next service is on Sunday 30 November at 10.30 am led by the Rev. Marion Kinnear. This is a joint service for all 3 churches.
Nether Lochaber Church - the next service is on Sunday 7 December at 11.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
South Lochaber Parish :
Bible Study - on 25 November at 10.45 in Jeremy's home - starting on "Joseph".
Bible Study - Kinlochleven at 11.00 am. on Friday 28 November at 11.00 am.
Sunday 23 November 2025 South Lochaber Church - available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/aFpdGQEnL7w
Opening Verse ‘God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings’ (1 Timothy 6:15)
Psalm 72
His large and great dominion
shall from sea to sea extend:
It from the river shall reach forth
unto earth’s utmost end.
For he the needy shall preserve,
when he to him doth call;
The poor also, and him that hath
no help of man at all.
Prayer King of kings and Lord of lords, glory, alleluia. Jesus, Prince of Peace, meek, mighty, and merciful Saviour, I praise you. Amen.
Bible Reading John 19:19-21 Pilate had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but “This man said, I am King of the Jews.”
Message One of our local landmarks is Glen Righ and the Abhainn Righ. This is said to derive from Gaelic ‘river of the king’. It has eight mighty waterfalls and its natural beauty is worthy of any king. The derivation has been disputed but it was firmly held by local Gaelic poet, Mary Cameron Mackellar. She was the daughter of a baker from Fort William who apparently had a shop in Ballachulish. She married the captain of a sailing vessel, the ‘Glencoe’ and was to travel widely.
One of the titles we give Jesus is ‘king’. He was born into a royal lineage and his birth has a connection to Bethlehem, where king David was from. The angel told Mary that his kingdom would have no end. But his reign as king only really began following his saving death and resurrection. Pilate had asked him ‘are you king of the Jews’, and Jesus did not deny it. It was certainly the charge that the Jews made against him, reminding Pilate that to claim to be king was in effect an act of insubordination to Caesar.
Pilate put off making his decision and eventually gave into the demands of the Jews who wanted Jesus crucified. He wrote on a notice and put it up above the cross, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews’. Pilate’s motives for doing so were mainly to annoy the Jews. He imagined that they would feel shamed to see their king so ill- treated. Pilate had no kind feelings towards the Jewish leaders, and he resented their demands. It is not good to act out of resentment or ill-will. That said, it may be that Pilate unknowingly was fulfilling a divine decree, because by his saving death, on the cross, Jesus would draw all people to himself and establish his credentials as king. He would bring the long reign of darkness, death and the Devil to an end. The message was written in the main languages spoken at the time, plain for all to see. It was probably written on a board whitened with gypsum, which is used in ceilings and plaster.
Jesus comes to reign as king of our hearts. God in his great mercy has rescued us from the domain of darkness and put us into the kingdom of his Son. There is a sense that the Kingdom of God has already arrived, because Jesus the king, has entered our lives. By faith in him, we have a royal heritage and share in his glorious liberty. However, there is a sense that the Kingdom of God is future, because it will be more completely manifested when the King returns at the end of the present age. He will come as judge of the living and the dead. We can live out our faith in dependence upon God’s grace and help. This will become evident in the graces of a Christian life, that includes patience towards difficult people, kindness, humility, and endurance. Jesus came amongst those who were weak, fallen, broken in spirit, and he died on the cross, a lonely figure, but gained a victory, and has power to bring us into a far more blessed life. The glory of the gospel is that the obstacles to our fellowship with God have been dealt with, and the offer of a friendship with the Saviour stands open. Faith in Jesus is meant to determine the sort of person we become.
Prayer Thank you Jesus, happy are those who share in your kingly reign. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. Amen.