Kinlochleven Church - the next service is on Sunday 11 January at 10.00 am led by the Rev. Marion Kinnear.
Duror Church - the next service is on Sunday 11 January at 10.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
Nether Lochaber Church - the next service is on Sunday 4 January at 11.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear and held in the church hall.
South Lochaber Parish :
Bible Study - on 20 January at 10.45 in Jeremy's home - continues on "Joseph".
Bible Study - Kinlochleven on 23 January at 11.00 am.
Sunday 11 January 2026 South Lochaber Church - available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/JJYwp6jjnpA
Opening Verse ‘The Jordan valley was as the garden of the Lord’ (Genesis 13:10)
Hymn
Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
try me, O Saviour, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
cleanse me from ev'ry sin and set me free.
Prayer God our Maker when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, you declared him to be
your Son. We welcome him at his coming. Amen.
Bible Reading Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized byJohn. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Message There is more than one river Jordan in the world. In Ontario, Canada there is a Jordan Lake and Jordan Harbour, and a Jordan village in an area suited for the cultivation of fruits. Also, there is Glengarry County, founded and settled by emigrants from Lochaber.
The river Jordan in the Bible flows through some very fertile land and has been associated with the garden of Eden in the creation story. Another feature of it is that it connects to the Dead Sea. In both respects there is a link to Jesus. Jesus is the second Adam, overturning the impact of the first Adam in whom humanity fell from grace and lost access to the garden of Eden. This is restored through Jesus. His baptism in the Jordan is connected in an unbroken link to his baptism of death at Calvary. Jesus was without sin but took our place.
He stood in for humanity and identified with sinful humanity in its plight. Our baptism, or christening, connects us to Christ’s baptism and to his baptism as a death to sin and for sin. Jesus not only allied himself with fallen, sinful humanity, he offered himself for us, as a sacrifice. The voice from heaven that he heard on rising from the Jordan was an affirmation that it was pleasing to the Father. God as Father, Son and Spirit was gloriously revealed in this mysterious event. As the promised anointed king Jesus was also the Suffering Servant.
John the Baptist hesitated because he knew that Jesus did not need a baptism of repentance. Jesus was without stain or blemish in his character. But it was God’s plan that John should baptize Jesus, not the other way round. Sometimes in God’s ordering of things the expected functions are reversed. We are all given grace to help each other. Our calling is to be servants, and not just to be served. Even a young, immature Christian can bring blessing to others through praying, encouraging, through words and actions that speak comfort.
One of the key figures in the history of Glengarry County in Canada is Alexander Macdonell, originally from Glengarry whose early education was near Loch Morar. He was a Roman Catholic priest working initially in Lochaber. When many of his flock were evicted in the Clearances he went with them to Glasgow. He offered to form a regiment of Catholics in the government service. His innovative proposal was given official assent. He became its chaplain, the first Catholic to hold such a position in Britain since the Reformation. When the regiment was disbanded in 1802, he used his powers of persuasion on the government who granted the regiment lands in Canada. He went to Ontario eventually becoming the first Catholic Bishop of Upper Canada. He sought new ways to promote the gospel and the interests of those he stood alongside. This inspirational path of service is in line with the example and words of Jesus who said, whoever wants to be prominent among you must be your servant.
Prayer O Lord, let me be a servant to those you send me to; and strengthen me in it. Amen.