Kinlochleven Church - the next service is on Sunday 22 March at 10.00 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
Duror Church - the next service is on Sunday 22 March at 10.30 am led by the Rev. Marion Kinnear.
Nether Lochaber Church - the next service is Easter Sunday 5 April at 11.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear and held in the church hall with tea and coffee to follow.
South Lochaber Parish :
Bible Study - on 17 March at 10.45 in Jeremy's home - continues on "Joseph".
Bible Study - Kinlochleven on Friday 27 March at 11.00 am.
Sunday 15 March 2026 South Lochaber Church - available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/J5JoSmnfTKI
Opening Verse ‘To the contrite and humble I will bring my comfort’ (Isaiah 57:18)
Chorus
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
Prayer Lord, gracious and kind, you are so good to me. And I love you, and worship you, because you first loved me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading John 19:25-27 Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and also Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Message This Sunday is Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday, a time to reflect on the motherly love and care shown to us. The true story of Mary of Callart takes us back four hundred years. This Mary was daughter of the chieftain of the Camerons of Callart, related to the Camerons of Lundavra. This Mary was a kindly and generous soul. When visiting her uncle’s family in Lundavra she met a beggar woman, took pity on her and cut her plaid in two, and gave half to the woman. This annoyed her family. When a dreaded plague came Mary nursed her parents, brothers and sisters. The plague took them all. Mary was unaffected. People were afraid to come near the house. Her lover, Patrick Campbell of Inverawe managed to rescue her by their happiness was short-lived. He fell at the Battle of Inverlochy in 1645.
Jesus remembered his mother and made sure she had someone to look after her. Jesus did have brothers and sisters but he wanted someone from the disciples to support her and take her into their company. She had much to give them.
His mother had so much treasured in her heart, going back to the time when the angel Gabriel had announced to her that she would bear a son, the Son of God. John the beloved disciple was both loyal and trustworthy. These are important qualities. In times of sorrow, we are blessed with the comfort we get from people in the church family.
Parents and children may have misunderstandings. The sense of calling and commitment that led Jesus to do all he did sometimes puzzled and annoyed his family. There can be tensions at home, but the bonds of love are strong enough to overcome these.
The mother of Jesus stood by the cross along with some of the other women. She stayed wih him in his darkest hour. Most of the disciples found the scene too frightening and hid. We should give thanks that mothers are often there in situations of danger out of love and loyalty. They display a commitment and a sacrificial love. Part of Christian faith is partaking in the sufferings of Christ. This can take different forms. One of these is being with, or a solidarity with suffering people. Jesus spent time with the broken in spirit. We may be asked to do so too. He also suffered through conflict with an unbelieving world. This may be what we are asked to do too. Remember that we are not asked to rely on our own strength to do this. As Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We are encouraged to take on fresh responsibilities, caring for the weak, the sad, the homeless. Love means being able to deal with hurt.
The mother of Jesus saw her son suffer and was sad. Suffering can enlarge the heart if we have a right attitude towards it. It can impart a grace and compassion that helps us to comfort others. We receive God’s comfort through Christ and so can strengthen each other.
Under the shadow of the cross, Christ was gathering and preparing his church. The church is renewed as we stand beneath the cross. We behold the Son of God and see the love that won our salvation. The love of God met a sinful broken world and wrought a mighty victory.
Prayer Lord, you love us with a constant love. We thank you for the tender love of daughters, sisters, mothers, grandmothers. Amen.