COP30 - 18 November 2025
Living the voice of Jesus

I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.
(Mother Teresa)

Reading

Mark 12: 28-34 (VOICE)

28 One of the scribes who studied and copied the Hebrew Scriptures overheard this conversation and was impressed by the way Jesus had answered.

Scribe: Tell me, Teacher. What is the most important thing that God commands in the law?

Jesus: 29 The most important commandment is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, and the Eternal One is the only God. 30 You should love the Eternal, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 31 The second great commandment is this: “Love others in the same way you love yourself.” There are no commandments more important than these.

Scribe: 32 Teacher, You have spoken the truth. For there is one God and only one God, 33 and to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves are more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice we could ever give.

34 Jesus heard that the man had spoken with wisdom.

Jesus: Well said; if you understand that, then the kingdom of God is closer than you think.

Nobody asked Jesus any more questions after that.

Proverbs 31: 8-9 (VOICE)

8 Speak out on behalf of those who have no voice,
and defend all those who have been passed over.
9 Open your mouth, judge fairly,
and stand up for the rights of the afflicted and the poor.

Isaiah 1: 16-17 (VOICE)

16 Wash yourselves, clean up your lives;
remove every speck of evil in what you do before Me.
Put an end to all your evil.
17 Learn to do good;
commit yourselves to seeking justice.
Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—
the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow.

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A note on our choice of the VOICE translation

Reflection

Yesterday's reflection focused on the divine nature of Jesus, but today we turn to Jesus the man, in conversation with another man, referred to as a Scribe. They are discussing something close to both their hearts: the Jewish Scriptures. In contrast to many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who keep trying to catch Jesus out with their questions, this man's interest is genuine. He wants to know what the greatest commandment is.

And Jesus, never one to sell anyone short, gives him two commandments for the price of one, we guess because the second commandment is unnegotiable once we properly understand the first. Here they are: First, there is one God and we are to love him with a 'oneness', i.e. with an undivided heart, an undivided soul, an undivided mind, and undivided strength. Second, we must love our neighbour with the same love we afford ourselves.

Jesus' answer clearly resonates with the Scribe, whose excitement we can sense as he reflects the answer back to Jesus, adding, "These commandments are more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice." He gets the wider implication of the commandments immediately, and because of this, Jesus tells him that he is close to the Kingdom of God.

Discussing the same commandments on a different occasion with another man (the Rich Young Ruler), Jesus was asked, "Who is my neighbour?" He responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), essentially telling the man that his neighbour was anyone in need, whether he knew them or not. His neighbour was not defined by race, nor culture, nor status, just by need.

Telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was illustrating, in a way that would shock his audience, a theme that is present throughout the whole Bible. It is implicit in our second reading, from Proverbs, where we are instructed to use our voices on behalf of those who don't have one - we must stand up for their rights. We are not told how to do this, but there is no doubt that we must do it.

When the Israelites started to fall away from God, they didn't stop offering their sacrifices and burned offerings. Those rituals continued, but they were empty gestures, or even worse, a mockery of their faith, because amongst other things, justice had been abandoned. In our third reading today, Isaiah is very clear about what the Israelites had to do to get back on track: "Learn to do good; commit yourselves to seeking justice. Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow.”

We found reading these three passages together, (and there are many more) hugely challenging. As we pondered them we remembered that we regularly raise our voices to praise God in public and private worship, but the Bible tells us that unless we use these same voices to speak for those who have no voice, our God may find our praise hollow. That is a sobering thought.

Response

Today we suggest that you use your voice. Have one conversation with another person about something related to climate or social justice. You don't have to climb onto a soapbox. It could just be a conversation where you express your concerns and your feeling of overwhelm about how to respond in these areas.

Today at COP30

Today is the second day of two considering the themes of forests, oceans, biodiversity, small and medium entrepreneurs, indigenous peoples, local and traditional communities, and children and youth . We consider oceans today.

The ‘Ocean Breakthroughs’ were developed in 2023 under the auspices of the Marrakech Partnership on Oceans and Coastal Zones. Marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes, have a natural capacity for carbon storage and sequestration. Corals and mangroves also help protect coastal communities from the damage of storms and floods. The ‘Coral Reef Breakthrough’ seeks to secure the future of shallow water tropical coral reefs and support the resilience of more than half a billion people. The ‘Mangrove Breakthrough’ seeks to sequester 43.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the mangrove plants themselves, and an additional 189 million tonnes into the soil. The mangroves would benefit 37 species of crabs, shrimps, fish and such, and provide coastal protection for over fifteen million people.

COP30 Website
UN Climate Change COP30 Website

Prayer

Loving God, I often feel timid, inadequate, insecure and under-educated. Give me courage today, I pray, to stand up, speak out and to share what you have given me - not worrying too much about my own mixed-motives nor waiting for perfection. I yield to your calling on my life. Help me to serve You wholeheartedly, by your grace, in spite of my many weaknesses.

I ask you that governments will raise their ambitions on climate finance to deliver the support needed so that the communities can adapt to the impacts of climate change. I pray that leaders will be inspired to see ways they can extend their countries’ targets, and that they will be brave to take on that challenge.

Amen

From Lectio365 (17 Sep 2025) and teafund

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COP30 - 18 November 2025Living the voice of Jesus