Saints & Scoundrels: Mary, Martha, and the Mess of Ministry

What if the thing exhausting you isn’t everything you’re doing, but the fact that you’ve forgotten why you’re doing it? In this message from Robyn Elliott, we revisit the story of Mary and Martha and discover that Jesus isn’t simply choosing one sister over the other; he’s inviting both women - and us - into freedom, presence, and a healthier way of serving. We sit with Jesus so we can go with Jesus, receiving from him so that we can give from the overflow. Discussion Questions: 1. When you hear the story of Mary and Martha, which sister do you instinctively identify with and why? What might that instinct reveal about your current season of life? 2. Martha tells Jesus, essentially, “Don’t you care?” What do you think is underneath that accusation? Have you ever experienced a point where exhaustion, disappointment, or resentment began to distort how you understood God’s presence? 3. Jesus says Martha is worried and troubled by many things. What’s the difference between being genuinely responsible and being inwardly controlled by responsibility? How can we tell when healthy service has become unhealthy striving? 4. Jesus may not be establishing a rule - be more like Mary - but inviting us to pay attention and discern. Why is discernment harder than simply following a rule? What are some areas of life where you wish Jesus would just tell you exactly what to do? 5. If serving in this passage has a broader meaning than simply household chores, how does that change the way we understand Martha? What assumptions about gender, ministry, leadership, or spiritual maturity could we be bringing to this story without realizing it? 6. “Being with Jesus comes before serving Jesus.” What do you think that means practically? Can you think of ways that doing things for God can actually become a way of avoiding what God might be doing in us? 7. Robyn said, “We sit with Jesus so that we can go with Jesus.” If receiving and serving belong together, what happens when we emphasize only one side? What does spiritual formation look like if we deliberately practice both? 8. Martha later appears serving again, and Mary later pours out her perfume in an extravagant act of love. What does this suggest about the goal of discipleship? What if becoming more like Jesus isn't about becoming more like Mary or Martha, but becoming more fully the person God has made you to be? What might that look like for you? 9. Are you currently serving at Lakeside, and if so, does that serving feel life-giving, or are you finding yourself stretched and depleted? If you’re not currently serving, where might you see yourself contributing in a way that fits your gifts and brings you joy? What might Jesus be inviting you to receive, give, or reconsider in this season?