Where Faith Takes Root

The Voice of Zion January 2026 - Home and Family Articles --

In every believing heart and home, life in faith is learned not only from sermons and Sunday School lessons, but through the quiet, ordinary rhythms of family life. Parents teach and guide; adolescents test boundaries while learning to step into adulthood; siblings – especially the older ones – shape one another through example. These three articles by writers from the Seattle, Wash., congregation explore how God works within these everyday relationships. From establishing a “church within the home,” to gently guiding teens, to recognizing the influence of older siblings, each writer points to the same experience: faith is nurtured in love, forgiveness, and the shared gospel that softens hearts and binds families together.

Together, these writings form a portrait of faith shared across the family system:

Parents, through marriage, prayer, Scripture, instruction, and forgiveness

Teens, through guided independence and faith conversations

Older siblings, through example, patience, and daily choices

All contribute to a home where faith is lived, taught, and shared – imperfectly but sustained by the Spirit.

Our Calling – and God’s Work

As parents, siblings, and caregivers, we teach, guide, pray, and set boundaries because God has called us to this work. Yet Scripture reminds us that faith and growth are God’s gifts, not our achievements. St. Paul writes, “I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6,7). This frees us from believing that everything depends on our strength or skill. We carry out our duties in love, trusting the Holy Spirit to work when and how He wills.

Luther comforts parents in the Catechism with the truth that “we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ… but the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel.” The same Spirit who calls us also calls our children.

So we keep doing what we are called to do – imperfectly, yet in faith – trusting that our labor in the Lord is not in vain, and also not dependent solely on us. This is a deep comfort to those of us who know our own weaknesses, limits, and failings so well.

Our role: faithfully nurture.

God’s role: create and sustain faith.

This brings deep peace: we walk in our calling, and God Himself tends the heart.

The Church within Our Home

Sara Westerinen

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). This verse of the Bible came to mind when I heard the phrase “the church within our house.” Being blessed with my husband Bruce began our shared home congregation three years ago. It is something special indeed to be able to talk and share everything – the good and the hard. The joys and sorrows are both multiplied, but we carry the loads together, and the burdens that are hard to bear are eased. The gospel makes marriage so beautiful. God is always with us in our own little congregation, and His Spirit also teaches through us now as parents.

Since becoming a mother, I have realized how easy it is to get caught up in the minutiae of motherhood and forget what is most important – where to draw strength, and also to remember thankfulness when things are good. I often find myself whispering prayers to God when my day is tough and I struggle with worries about health and prosperity. I think that contentment and thankfulness are a huge part of the church within our home. Song of Zion 374, verse 3 says, “Contentment, Lord, I find in Thee; my heart in blessed peace can be. In all the woe and pain I bear, Thou art my helper – Thou art there.” I would liken contentment to peacefulness, and as such, it brings great joy and a happy home.

The gift of living faith is exactly that – a gift. We can teach our children to learn about and praise our Heavenly Father through His Word in the Bible as well as the hymns that we sing. We pray that our children would always remain in faith and be tenderhearted.

Singing is truly the simplest form of worship, and it gives so much peace. We have been blessed with a wide variety of beautiful songs in our hymnal. God has also given us His guidance, instruction, comfort, and loving rebuke throughout the Bible. In Deuteronomy 6:7 it says, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” We have a duty to our children to teach and guide them in God’s kingdom.

God is a God of love, grace, mercy, truth, and forgiveness. Jesus suffered and died on the cross and arose victorious for us and our sins so that we never need to die in unbelief. His love for all humankind is unending, and God sent Him to save us.

We plant seeds of living faith in our sweet babies by teaching them about our Creator, our Savior, and the preaching of the forgiveness of sins. We plant, and God gives the increase. We teach our children that we have freedom from our sins. We all fall into temptation, yet we can have freedom from our failings and be given the strength to continue on our way to Heaven. When troubles come, we are instructed to teach our loved ones about right and wrong. God’s grace allows hearts to change. May God instill a desire to follow His Word and hunger for the Gospel.

Watching Mom and Dad exchange the message gives peace to the family and teaches our children through example. Ending the day with the gospel creates the softest pillow for us all to sleep on. May we always depend on God the way our babies depend on us. 

Adolescents Need Parental Guidance

Joy Huotari 

What does “adolescent” mean? The Oxford Languages Dictionary states that an adolescent is “a young person in the process of developing from a child to an adult.” According to the National Institutes of Health, this spans from puberty to the mid-twenties.

It is important for adolescents to be allowed a level of independence and given the opportunity to both succeed and fail in their efforts. However, this can be confusing and difficult to navigate alone. As parents, it is our Christian duty to give guidance through these years. The Sacrament of Baptism exhorts parents: “Rear your children in love and truth in God’s Kingdom; carry them in your prayers that they would be protected as children of God their entire lifetime. Remember also that the source of power for your own faith-life, as well as for the care and rearing of your children, is in that gospel.” The gospel comforts both parent and child.

The Bible instructs, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4, NIV). This is a reminder to guide gently and lovingly. As believing parents, the best we can do is raise our children in faith – bringing them to church, Sunday School, and keeping our home Zion a haven of love, forgiveness, and clear instruction. We can prayerfully continue the work of planting the seeds of faith firmly within our children’s hearts while remembering that God gives the increase, even as they continue the road to adulthood. “O Shepherd, guide our children with gentle hands of love; and keep our loved ones near You, protect them from above” (Song of Zion 428, verse 4).

As a mother of grown children as well as adolescents, I can say I have at times been faulty – harsh, watchful, controlling, and conversely, wearily lenient. I have been a weak parent who has needed to hear the gospel repeatedly. The forgiveness of sins is something we never outgrow, no matter what age! This forgiveness daily restores us and allows us to keep parenting in hope.

The ABCs of faith do not end when our children are little. Adolescence opens a whole new chapter of life with complex questions and a testing of boundaries once easily accepted by our little ones. “When can I get my own cell phone? Why do I need to be home by 10 o’clock? What’s wrong with this skirt? It is not too short! Why do I need to go to haps when none of my friends are going?” And so on.

It is humbling to recognize that as our children grow and their independence reaches new levels, we cannot prevent them from making bad choices and mistakes. But we can control how we respond to these moments. Do we create an environment that welcomes open conversation in our home? Do our children feel the consequences for “coming clean” are too severe? Are we approachable as parents who also sin and humbly need to have sins washed away? Are we quick to assume the worst of our teens? Or do we swing to the opposite extreme and feel, “OUR kids surely would never do something like that?”

Perhaps you, along with me, have experienced times of much worry for your teens – wanting so badly to guide and instruct in the right ways, even suffering sleepless nights and tearful days. When our fears become bigger than our faith, it is a comfort to be reminded that “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Cor. 3:7). This promise frees us from believing everything solely depends on us.  

A Visit with My Adult Son

Having experienced and matured beyond the adolescent years, how did you feel about being parented as a teen?

I definitely thought some of the rules and guidance were too much at times. I didn’t always understand why things had to be a certain way or why there was so much focus on doing the “right” thing. At the time, it felt like it limited my freedom.

Did you feel the instruction and guidance at the time was too much, unappreciated, or overbearing?

Honestly, all the above. It’s difficult as a teen to look forward when immediately surrounded by so much change and worldly influence. I saw it as overbearing at the time, but looking back, I realize it came from love and a desire to protect me and keep me grounded in faith.

Now in retrospect, how have those feelings changed?

They’ve changed completely. As I’ve grown older, I see that the structure and morals you instilled gave me direction when life got confusing. It’s that foundation that’s helped me make good choices and stay steady through challenges.

Being a father yourself now, what do you feel is important guidance for your own children as they grow into adolescence?

Now that I’m a dad, I see how important it is to give my kids the same kind of grounding – teaching them faith, morals, and respect for others. I want to guide them with love but also give them room to learn and grow. The goal isn’t to control them, but to help them build a strong enough foundation that they can go out and experience the world with confidence, carrying those values with them and knowing the difference between right and wrong.  

The Role of an Older Sibling

Claire Niemela, age 14

“Stop!” the high-pitched voice of my younger sister tears through the house, reaching my ears as she continues, “Claire doesn’t like it when you do that!”

I sigh, closing my eyes. It sounds like someone didn’t get the exact shade of crayon they wanted. While it can be annoying, moments like this remind me what an impact I have on my siblings as the oldest. It’s both a compliment and a reminder that my actions and words mean a lot.

Being the oldest of a family of nine (or any number!) can be hard. The responsibility placed upon a person in that position is generally large and can be demanding. And while it may not seem like my mom or dad sees all I am doing, it helps them out in ways I can’t always imagine. I may not be thanked for every little job I do, but there are times when my parents take the time to tell me how helpful it is to have me there.

Many times in my life, when I’ve been told to do a job or watch the kids, I’ve grumbled and unenthusiastically gone off to do it while the younger ones watch. While I don’t realize it at the time, my actions shape what my younger siblings do in a similar situation. Watching a younger kid grumble about having to do a job – and feeling annoyed that they won’t just simply listen – is normal now, but a lot of times I have to stop and think about what I was doing at their age. And no, it isn’t okay to not listen to Mom or Dad, kids, but I do need to be more thoughtful about the ways to get the kids to listen and do their job in less than forty-eight hours.

Just the other day, while I was speaking to my younger sister about getting her job done, she told me, “You were like this at my age.” And while I would like to deny this, I can’t…because she’s right. Most people at that age don’t like to listen, especially if they see an older sibling doing the same. Even now, while I try to do my jobs without complaint, sometimes I feel myself beginning to grumble when I’m called down to do dishes right in the middle of a book.

Alongside this, when my parents see me or another child doing a job or task without complaint, this is noted, and eventually it can lead to them giving me more freedom. I know that when my mom is faced with a disobedient child, her first instinct is to discipline them and give them more jobs to complete. However, when she sees a kid repeatedly do jobs well and without complaint, she is more inclined to reward them with something like a small treat or thanks. And when I, as the oldest child, am rude or do not listen, my parents see me differently and are therefore stricter on me, which reduces my freedoms.

Another impact I think about more often now as I get older is the respect my younger siblings have for me. Often, I find myself angry and yelling at whoever is doing something that annoys me, and the impacts of that anger are soon shown when whoever was the target of my yelling is less likely to listen because their respect for me has dwindled in the face of my anger. But when I keep my anger in and speak in a gentler way, explaining what needs to be done and how to do it, that kid is more likely to respond positively because they aren’t as defensive. And even further on in life, that child may be more likely to come to me when needing help because they can trust that I won’t just blow up at them.

So, while it may not seem like that big of a deal to me when I do something that isn’t exactly nice or necessary, it really is. My actions make a significant impact on how my parents and siblings see me as a person, and those actions can influence how others act in similar situations. Being the oldest can be hard, but seeing the impact I can have on my siblings and parents is a reward that many don’t have the opportunity to see. 

Discussion questions

1. What does “the church within our home” mean to you, and how have you seen faith lived out in ordinary daily moments?

2. How do parents, older siblings, and even young children influence the spiritual and emotional tone of a home through their example – both in strengths and in struggles?

3. The Baptismal Covenant calls parents to rear their children in love and truth. How does this calling take shape in different seasons of childhood and adolescence, and what support does the gospel give for this work?

4. Adolescence brings new freedoms and questions. What kinds of guidance seem most helpful during this stage, and how can parents offer it in a way that builds trust rather than tension?

5. Many homes try to balance structure with independence. What approaches have helped maintain that balance in your family or experience, and what tends to disrupt it?

6. The writers spoke about “planting seeds of faith.” When have you noticed moments – whether quickly or years later – when those seeds seemed to grow, and what does this suggest about God’s timing and the Spirit’s work?

7. Forgiveness exchanged within the home – between parents, siblings, or across generations – can be powerful. How does witnessing this shape a child’s or teen’s understanding of God’s grace?

8. Scripture reminds us that “God gives the increase.” How does this promise bring comfort when we feel our limits as parents, siblings, or caregivers trying to nurture faith?

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