Who confirms what exactly?

We had a 'Confirmation Service' in Lichfield Cathedral last night. A big one. There were several hundred in the congregation, and the atmosphere was full of excitement and joy. And we had 56 'confirmation' candidates. Yes, 56.

Those who don't know about 'confirmation' won't appreciate how unusual that is. Those who do, will be wondering how on earth the Bishop of Lichfield managed to 'confirm' 56 people in a single service without the whole thing feeling like some sort of conveyor-belt or production-line. Well, he did.

In the Church of England, 'confirmation' is the ceremony through which adults - or at least, young people old enough to know their own minds and to speak for themselves - take their place as full members of the Christian community. Usually, they've been through a process of preparation, exploring what it might means to live as a follower of Jesus today. Often, the candidates are a bit nervous. The service involves them answering a series of formal questions put by the bishop about their beliefs and intentions. And at the climax of the service, the candidates kneel in turn before the bishop, who places his hand on their heads and prays 'Confirm, O Lord, your servant with your Holy Spirit'.

It could be argued that in answering their questions, the candidates confirm that they wish to take their place within the Christian community. It could be argued that it is the Bishop who 'confirms' that the candidates are ready to take that step. But his prayer suggests that in fact it's God who does the confirming, 'strengthening' the candidates for their spiritual journey with his own Spirit.

Last night, the service was for the whole 'Deanery' of Lichfield. (What a lot of jargon we do use in church! A 'deanery' is a unit of organisation in the Church of England, an area made up of say twenty or so 'parishes', often roughly equivalent to a local authority borough or district.) The candidates ranged in age, I suppose, from about 10 years old to, shall we say (I'd better be careful here...), 'retirement age plus'. Each candidate has their own story, about what this step means for them and what has led up to it - but for all of them, there is a recognition that they are responding to the call of God. That's really what gives these services the edge of exhilaration. Certainly, there was a real buzz in the air last night.

I've been to lots of confirmation services over the years. Often there are a dozen candidates, or maybe 20. I've never been to one with 56 candidates before. And if I'm honest, I thought it would be too many. I thought it would take for ever for the bishop, assuming he gave each candidate their own moment of attention, to pray over each one. I thought it would be hard to concentrate and to stay prayerful throughout. But actually, it was fine. Actually, it was great. There was a real sense of the presence of God.

I had the privilege of talking this evening to some of the candidates, 24 hours later. Several spoke of finding it very moving. The wonderful thing is, it wasn't just moving for the candidates. It was also moving for those of us who have been disciples of Jesus for years, to see these new additions to our community, our new companions on the Way.

HRH and the Chindits

I went for a walk out of the Close this morning. On my way, I counted 20 police vehicles. Why, because this afternoon we've had a visit from an HRH. Prince Charles, as it happens.

The occasion was a 65th anniversary service, to celebrate the second expedition of the Chindits, and to mark the laying up of the Chindits' standard.

The who's? The Chindits. A Chindit is a mythical dragon-like Burmese beast -- statues of which (Chinthay) guard Buddhist temples. The Chindits were the SAS of their day: the largest of the allied Special Forces fighting in the Burmese jungle during the 2nd World War. They were formed and lead by Major General Orde Wingate DSO -- an exceptionally brave soldier, and incidently a thoroughly convinced Christian, whose religious views led him to support the establishment of an Israelite state in the 1930s. Theirs is an inspiring story of courage and of victory against the odds -- but I must say at various points today I found myself wondering what Wingate would have made of the service, and the preparations for it.

For one thing, it was necessary to close the Cathedral to the general public all day today. This always grieves me. It seems to me that an open door is a fundamental statement about the nature of the Christians gospel -- Jesus extended a welcome to all. But from dawn this morning, the Cathedral (and indeed the Close) has been accessible to the privileged few.

It's good to know that our royal family are so effectively protected. There's no doubt at all that the police offer thorough service. Every drain cover was lifted, every bin emptied, every parked car inspected, every visitor challenged. But I'm sure I wasn't the only person left asking how much the overwhelming police presence must cost, and I was startled to think of operations on this scale happening not just daily, but -- assuming each member of the royal family receives something like the same service wherever they go -- several times a day.

Then there was the service itself. I'm quite a patriot really. I sing the national anthem with gusto. I'm profoundly grateful to be living in an era of peace, and I'm easily moved to think of the sacrifices made for the cause of freedom and liberty by previous generations. I'm also a bit of a sucker for ceremonial and pageantry. So I quite enjoyed part of the afternoon today. I'd not met Prince Charles before and was glad to see him in the flesh.

But I have to admit to being a tiny bit disappointed by the address. I'm sure Viscount Slim is a good and sincere man. But he managed to get through an entire address from the pulpit in our Cathedral, without every refering to God or Jesus -- and from the litte I know about the founder of the Chindits, my impression is that would have frustrated Orde Wingate every bit as much as it frustrated me.

If we are going to hold these services in our Cathedrals, it is vital that we do so in a robustly Christian context. We must at least address the question, it seems to me, what is the God's eye view of the events we are commemorating? How does the history we are celebrating relate to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?

Walking the Walk launched

My new book, 'Walking the Walk: the Rise of King David for Today' is duly published. It can be ordered now from Lichfield Cathedral Bookshop and will be available on general release from 3 July.

I do count myself fortunate. The party on Friday night was great fun and I felt very privileged to have the support of such a generous group of friends and colleagues, who came along. It was especially exciting to see some old friends, including members of the amazing church in Walsall (St Paul's at the Crossing in Walsall), of which I was fortunate enough to be the vicar until a few years ago.

I'd managed to find a terrific harpist, Kathryn Lewis, to come and play, which gave the event the perfect focus. And the sale of books was encouraging. Of course, I forgot to arrange pictures...

The Editorial Director of Paternoster, Dr Robin Parry, came along and said some kind words about the book. Then I got to say some thanks to those who've supported and encouraged me in the writing of the book, as well as a few words about the point of the book. The way I read it, the story of David's rise is as much as anything about the value of restraint. That's a quality we've had to cultivate here at Lichfield Cathedral over recent months, so it was a pleasure to be able to dedicate the book to my clergy colleagues here: the Dean (Adrian Dorber), Canon Precentor (Wealands Bell) and Canon Treasurer (Chris Liley). They're a great example of godly restraint.

Book Launch

I've been meaning to start blogging for ages, and the publication of a new book seems like as good a reason as any to do it.

The book is called, 'Walking the Walk: the Rise of King David for Today'. It's published by Paternoster at £8.99. It's available now from Lichfield Cathedral Bookshop (01543 306150) and will be available more widely from 3rd July. We're celebrating the publication tonight with a party in the Cathedral.

The book is an interpretation of the Bible story recorded in the chunk of the Old Testament that runs from 1 Samuel 16 (when the boy David is first anointed by the prophet Samuel), through to 2 Samuel 5 (when David the man is anointed king over all Israel). It includes the Goliath story among others.

In my reading of the narrative, its all about the value of restraint: unlike Saul (David's predecessor), who is completely unable to restrain himself, David shows a patience and self-control which derives from his faith and trust in God.

That's how I see it, anyway. The meaning of the Bible for today is one of the great passions of my life. I love to work closely with the text of Scripture, following its contours and letting it ask its own questions of me and my generation.

This is my second book. The first was published about 18 months ago: 'Living the Dream: Joseph for Today'. It was a similar book to the new one: an attempt to work out what the story of Joseph, recorded in Genesis 37 to 50, might have to say to the church and to wider society today.

I'm working currently on a sequel to 'Walking the Walk'. Inevitably, it'll be called 'Talking the Talk: the fall of king David for today' and it'll tell the rest of the David story, from the moment he becomes king (2 Samuel 5) to the day of his death (2 Kings 2), including of course the Bathsheba story among others. It's due out about a year from now.