17-May-2026 Sunday Morning - Pastors Michelle and Tammy- We are Family Week 2- Sisterhood

Devotional

Day 1: At His Feet Among Dishes

Martha bustled between kitchen fires and serving trays while Mary sat cross-legged before Jesus. Dishes clattered as Martha demanded help, but Jesus said Mary chose the better portion. His voice cut through her distraction: “Few things are needed—really only one.”[45:36]

Jesus honored Mary’s posture of listening over Martha’s frenzy. He didn’t condemn service but exposed misplaced priorities. Both sisters loved Him, but Mary anchored her heart first.

You juggle deadlines, chores, and others’ demands. Today, pause mid-task. Set down the phone, close the laptop, and sit physically still for five minutes. What inner clutter drowns out His voice? Where is your body right now—and where is your heart?

“Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations…‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?’…‘Mary has chosen what is better.’”
(Luke 10:39-42, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one practical distraction stealing your stillness today.
Challenge: Write “ONE THING” on a sticky note and place it on your fridge or mirror.

Day 2: Running to Meet the Messiah

Four days after Lazarus’ death, Martha sprinted through Bethany’s dust to confront Jesus. “If You’d been here…” she gasped. Yet she declared, “Even now God will give You whatever You ask.” Her hands still smelled of burial spices, but her faith outran her grief.[51:32]

Martha’s boldness shows active faith isn’t inferior—it’s essential. She didn’t hide her confusion, yet trusted Jesus amid pain. Service and raw honesty coexist in godly sisterhood.

When crisis hits, do you default to fixing or freezing? Name one burden you’ve bottled up this week. What if you ran with it to Jesus first, before your to-do list?

“Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’”
(John 11:21-22, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one worry you’ve managed alone instead of bringing it to Christ.
Challenge: Text a friend: “I’m praying for your heaviest burden today. Share it?”

Day 3: When Casseroles Comfort Grief

The church flooded Michelle’s kitchenless home with meals after her father’s death. Casserole dishes and tearful hugs became sacraments—Marthas and Marys loving through tuna bakes and silent hugs.[01:11:31]

Jesus’ love flows through hands that cook, clean, or hold. Practical service incarnates His care. Sisters sustain each other not with perfect words but presence.

Who needs your tangible love this week? A freezer meal, a ride, or a handwritten card? Whose grief have you avoided because you felt inadequate to “fix” it?

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
(Galatians 6:2, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for someone who served you in a crisis. Name them aloud.
Challenge: Drop off a grocery gift card or premade meal to someone stressed.

Day 4: Loved in the Kitchen and Quiet

Jesus loved Martha mid-chop, Mary mid-prayer. He didn’t compare their love languages. The Savior who dined in Martha’s home also wept with Mary at Lazarus’ tomb—honoring both knife and kneeling.[55:15]

God designed some to sustain through action, others through intercession. Neither role outranks; both reflect His heart. Comparison fractures what Christ died to unite.

Do you resent others’ spiritual rhythms? Or feel guilty for how He wired you? What if your unique design isn’t a flaw but a gift?

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
(John 11:5, ESV)

Prayer: Confess envy toward someone’s spiritual gifts. Ask for joy in their calling.
Challenge: Compliment a “Martha” and a “Mary” in your life for their specific strengths.

Day 5: Fueled by the One Thing

Mary’s stillness fueled her later anointing of Jesus’ feet. Martha’s service, when rooted in love, fed the church. Both drew from the same source: time at His feet.[54:19]

Burnout comes when service detaches from devotion. Yet abiding in Christ turns duty into delight. Your doing flows from being.

What task exhausts you? Pause before starting it today. Breathe: “Jesus, fill this with Your presence.” What mundane act could become worship if offered to Him?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me…you will bear much fruit.”
(John 15:5, NIV)

Prayer: Pray “Jesus, be my first thought today” before checking your phone.
Challenge: Set a timer for 10 minutes of silence before tackling a chore.

Sermon Summary

Sisterhood shows up as God’s good idea, not just for those with biological sisters but for every daughter of Jesus. The church’s sisters share life in joy and in sorrow, present in all the moments that stretch a heart. Luke puts Mary at the Lord’s feet and lets Martha bustle in the kitchen, and Jesus calls Mary’s choice “the better thing,” the “main course” that will not be taken away. The correction lands on worry and distraction, not on faithful work. The point is not that doing is bad, but that listening must lead the way.

John shows Martha running to Jesus when Lazarus has died. Her first words carry ache and faith together: “Lord, if you had been here… but even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Martha’s heart believes and her feet move. So the family of God needs both kinds of grace. Martha carries faith into action. She sets tables, opens doors, organizes mercy. Mary holds a steady gaze on Jesus and keeps the heart from thinning out. Marys teach that loving Jesus must come before serving him. They keep service from becoming smoke without fire. Real service flows out of intimacy so the soul does not burn out.

Together Mary and Martha quietly keep the two greatest commandments in view. Loving God with a whole heart looks like listening at his feet. Loving neighbor looks like hands-on care. The text also cuts the root of comparison. John says Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. That settles it. No measuring. No competing. Different gifts, same love. A healthy life blends a Martha task list with a Mary heart, worshipers who serve and servants who worship.

Sisterhood gets practical. Meals appear when kitchens flood and hearts break. Texts come, chairs get filled at funerals, and presence becomes a sermon without words. That kind of care invites any lonely heart to meet Jesus, the one who makes a person family-ready. The invitation is open, the altars open, and the call is simple. Sit with him. Then get up and love like him.

Key Takeaways

1. Devotion is the main course Mary’s seat at Jesus’ feet names priority. Listening forms the soul before labor spends it. Without a steady gaze on the Lord, service gets noisy and thin. With it, even small acts become holy and whole. [46:35]
2. Martha’s action springs from faith Martha runs toward Jesus carrying honest grief and living confidence. Her “even now” trusts God’s power when circumstances shout otherwise. Action like that is not frantic problem solving. It is faith taking a step and letting Jesus lead. [51:04]
3. Service needs intimacy to last Activity without prayer wears a person out. Intimacy keeps the center warm so hands can keep moving without hardening. The heart that lingers with Jesus learns when to work and when to be still, and both become worship. [54:19]
4. Stop comparing and competing John’s simple line settles sibling rivalry in the soul. Jesus loved Martha and her sister. Different wiring, equal affection. Freedom comes when calling replaces comparison and grace replaces scorekeeping. [55:15]
5. Sisterhood shows up in crisis Love takes a casserole, fills a pew, and holds a phone line. Presence does not fix loss, but it keeps sorrow from being alone. In those ordinary mercies, Jesus’ tenderness becomes visible again. [70:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:44] - Icebreaker: Famous Sisters
[42:33] - Sisterhood in God’s Family
[43:31] - Opening Prayer
[44:32] - Mary and Martha in Luke 10
[46:35] - The Main Course Named
[46:56] - Sisters-in-Law Story
[50:40] - Martha’s Faith in John 11
[51:57] - Service and Devotion Together
[54:19] - Two Great Commandments in View
[55:15] - Loved Equally by Jesus
[70:49] - Sisterhood When Life Falls Apart
[71:31] - Invitation and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

John 11:21-27 (ESV)
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Observation Questions

In Luke 10:40-42, what specific reasons does Jesus give for correcting Martha?
How does Martha’s response to Jesus in John 11:21-22 combine both grief and faith?
According to the sermon, what two commandments do Mary and Martha’s actions represent? [54:19]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus emphasize Mary’s choice as “the good portion” (Luke 10:42) instead of condemning Martha’s service?
How does Martha’s declaration in John 11:27 (“I believe that you are the Christ”) reveal the foundation of her actions?
What does the phrase “Jesus loved Martha and her sister” (John 11:5) imply about how believers should view their differences in gifts or roles? [55:15]

Application Questions

When have you felt “distracted by much serving” (Luke 10:40) like Martha? What practical step could help you prioritize “the good portion” this week?
Martha’s “even now” faith (John 11:22) trusted God’s power despite her circumstances. What situation in your life needs an “even now” declaration of trust?
The sermon mentions that “service without intimacy becomes smoke without fire.” [53:50] How could you intentionally connect acts of service (like meals or care) to time spent listening to Jesus?
Sisterhood shows up in crisis through practical acts like filling a pew or bringing a meal. Who in your life needs tangible support right now, and what small act could you do to “show up”? [01:10:49]
Comparison often steals joy in relationships. What is one way you can celebrate someone’s God-given differences instead of competing with them?

Sermon Clips

28s

“``Being different is just fine. We don't have to even compare ourselves. That's right. We don't need to compete with one another. We have to stop that. Because you know what? Before I read you that stuff in John 11 verse five says, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. Jesus loves both of them equally and he loves every single one of us in here equally just exactly the way we are.”

28s

“Mary's also show us that being fully devoted is important. Mary show us that real service flows from this place of intimacy, allowing us to stay centered rather than get burnt out. Martha's tend to get burnt out. I'm gonna say that again. Mary show us that real service flows out of this intimacy allowing us to stay centered on Jesus rather than just running around getting burnt out.”

29s

“This is what's so cool. Together, they have you ever thought about this? They embody the two greatest commandments, loving God and loving others by serving our neighbors. You see, we see value in both hands on ministry and quiet time reflection. Both are needed to carry out God's great commission. Being different and having different God given gifts and talents, even the way that we think and the way that we process is okay.”

30s

“Do both Martha's and Mary's, are they both essential parts of the body of Christ? What do you think? I think so too. They represent a necessary balance between active practical service in the Martha's and intentional intimate devotion as a Mary. Here's things we see in Martha. We see that Martha's have faith moved to action. Any other doers out there? Anybody a doer kinda Martha person?”

Ask a question about this sermon

Southern Hills Baptist Church of Tulsa This sermon · AI assistant

What distinguishes Mary's devotion from Martha's service?

How should sisters balance worship and practical service?

How can church sisterhood support grieving families practically?