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.