Kinlochleven Church - the next service is on Sunday 2 August at 10.00 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
Duror Church - the next service is on Sunday 9 August at 10.30 am. led by the Rev. Marion Kinnear.
Nether Lochaber Church - the next service is on Sunday 2 August at 11.30 am led by the Rev. Malcolm Kinnear.
South Lochaber Parish :
Bible Study - on Tuesday 4 August at 10.45 in Jeremy's home, led Jeremy.
Sunday 19 July 2026 - available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ksNOv_yJnTw
Hymn
Let us, with a gladsome mind,
praise the LORD, for He is kind:
for His mercies shall endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
He hath caused the golden sun
all day long his course to run:
for His mercies shall endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
Prayer Lord, as you will and as you know, have mercy. Grant me, my Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, a good, a sinless, and spotless day. Amen.
Bible Reaading Matthew 13:45-50 The kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for fine pearls. One day he found a very valuable pearl. The man went and sold everything he had to buy that pearl. “Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the good people. The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace. In that place the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”
Message Two fascinating descriptions of our local area between Lismore and Fort William are available in the 1791 First Statistical Account of Scotland. These include descriptions of the fish that were caught in Loch Linnhe and Loch Leven. Haddock, skate, mackerel, pollock, coalfish, coleys, flounders as well as trout and herring. With long fishing lines cod, skate and flounders were brought in. There were eels too. In the nets sometimes young seals became trapped. Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven as like a big net, in which many fish were scooped up, the bad were thrown away, the good kept. This speaks of the great separation in the final judgement. We are being urged to be sure that we have accepted the message of God’s saving love in his Son, and that we continue in the faith, for a good outcome.
Elsewhere Jesus uses a large catch of fish as a picture of the church. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, the disciples pulled in a catch of 153 fish. The net was heavy but did not break. In those days two sorts of nets were used, a huge square net or drag net, and casting nets in a bell shape. Why 153? According to the early Christian writer Jerome, there were thought to be exactly 153 species of fish in the known world. The 153 fish stand for all the peoples of the world. So there is room in the church for people of every nation, tribe and background. Jesus came for us all, and all may receive his wonderful love.
People come to faith in different ways, some after a patient search, and others just find Jesus, without going out of their way to look for him. To find and receive Jesus as your personal Saviour is like having a great treasure, a pearl of great price. Everything changes. When we receive the Word in our hearts with a full response of faith, God does a work in us, and we experience a new life, that is called being born again of the Spirit.
In any church there may be some who are still sitting on the fence, as it were. It is not for us to judge or criticise; it is more important we show to them the beauty of a sanctified life. St Mark the Ascetic, a 5th century Christian wrote that a person who has some spiritual gift and feels compassion someone who do not have it will preserve the gift because of his compassion.
Once we have faith we must follow it whole-heartedly. In any aspect of life to achieve anything we must apply ourselves with keen exertion and commitment. Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God. We can be sure that if we seek the Lord with all our heart we will find him.
Jesus chose fishermen amongst his twelve disciples. He told them they would learn to catch people. Fishermen then need courage, patience, a sense of timing, and the willingness to use different methods. We need all these qualities today if the church is to draw in more people.
Prayer Gracious Father how great you are. You have given me so much; one thing more I ask; a grateful heart. Amen.