Contributed by Adeline Ting • Jul 21, 2026

This sermon, about passing on faith to the next generation, hits me on a personal level. This is because I am a parent and I too, share the fear that I may not be doing a good job passing on the faith to the next generation. As my child is only one year shy of adulthood, I find myself wondering, more often than not lately, “Have I done enough?”

And so, I looked back and reflected on how faith was passed on in my own family. My paternal grandmother was one that had her roots firmly grounded in Christ. Each time we saw her (before she passed on), she would ask us,  “Have you been going to church?” Even when I introduced my then boyfriend (now husband) to her, the first question she asked was “Is he a Christian?” I see it now, what a poignant moment. What mattered to her was her family, her generations to come, keeping to the faith. And then there was my mom. The first to be baptised in my family. She was quiet, but resilient. In the face of hardships and challenges in life, she never gave up on God. Before she was sick, she was a burst of energy. Always reading the bible, joining memory verse competitions, having fellowship and helping her church members, and praying for others. When she became ill, my Dad did a 180º turn to become the primary caregiver. He drew closer to God, and they both prayed and trusted God even more in those challenging times. When she was healed after two years, everyone celebrated this miracle and gave thanks and remembered God for His mercy and answered prayers. But the greatest testimony was formed when she relapsed a year after her recovery. Too quick, too soon, and she was gone. Yet, the story continued with my Dad. He did not blame God, at all. He grieved, but held the family together. And years after that, Dad took it upon himself to become both the ‘grandpa and grandma’ to his grandkids. The love he has for his own children and his grandkids can only come from the love and trust he received from God. And this he can only receive when he surrendered fully to Him. And as our stories weave together, I can see how my grandma’s faith and promise to God has somewhat lingered and found its way to my Dad, and both my Dad and Mum’s faith has been passed on to their children and grandkids.

I get it. It is not about me doing enough. The greatest gift I can give to my next generation is not a perfect family, but a home where we witness, remember and share the stories of God’s faithfulness. Stories of struggle, despair, forgiveness, and victory, all centred on Christ. Stories that teach us not just about beliefs but about who God is and our relationship with Him. He is ultimately the Hero in every season of our lives. I will remain encouraged that it is not my parenting ability that is everything (or enough); it is God’s steadfast love and grace that helps us with our next generation.

I find comfort in knowing that God never asked us to make our children perfect. But we can faithfully point our children to God, and tell ourselves not to give up but continue to pray in whatever circumstance. Make it our daily posture that “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” I know there will come a point in time, when my child would have to choose whom to serve. And I hope he will respond in fear and faith. And I pray that all our future generations will encounter God, our very same faithful God, and continue to write their own personal stories of His faithfulness for generations to come.