CONFIRMING WHAT?
We are in the middle of a glorious 8 days of Anglican rites and sacraments.
“You what?” you might say!
Let me explain.
Last week we left the service buzzing as we baptised by full immersion and several were admitted to communion before confirmation. And this Sunday three further candidates will be confirmed by Bishop Richard at St John’s Coulsdon.
But what, you might ask, is actually going on here? If you come from a Free Church or Baptist background you may only recognise one of those three things!
To understand a bit more, especially about confirmation, and how it fits within all this, it would be helpful to go back in church history a little. For confirmation has been described as “a rite seeking a biblical theology” – in other words, you won’t find it in scripture!
Before we do that, what is the difference between a rite and a sacrament?
A rite is an activity or ritual offered in worship – it’s something we do in a service – and usually its associated with a set template of words, maybe written down in a book. But you could also say that singing a block of three songs in charismatic worship is a rite or an “altar call” is a rite. It’s something we do as an element of a service of worship.
But there are sacramental rites which are special. In the Church of England only two sacraments are recognised – baptism and Holy Communion. These are sacramental because they indicate “a visible sign of an invisible grace” – something God is doing with something ordinary – water in one, bread and wine in the other. And crucially both are commanded by Jesus:
“Go, make disciples and baptise them …” (Matthew 28:19)
“Do this in remembrance of me..” (Luke 22:19)
They therefore become sacramental rites and are an important part of Christian worship. We saw both in action last week – and the whole service was electric with the presence of God!
Confirmation is a rite but not a sacrament in the Church of England.
And the reason it is a “rite seeking a biblical theology” is that you will not find it in scripture. It grew out of the tradition of the church. In an article in 2014 Ian Paul says this:
“Confirmation made some sense as a rite of passage to adult membership of the Church in a Christendom context. If the majority of the population was baptised as infants, confirmation made sense as an opportunity for catechism (teaching) of candidates, and as a rite of full admission to Church membership, in particular, admission to Holy Communion.”*
In other words, if everyone was doing it, then it makes sense for everyone else to join in!
But over the last 15 years the case for conformation has become less clear. It was:
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Access to “full adult membership” of the Church
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The gateway to be admitted to Communion
That is no longer the case because to join the Electoral Roll of a church (the closest the Church of England has to membership) then you just have to be baptised and an habitual worshipper. Also with the introduction of admission to Holy Communion, usually for children, but adults can be too, then the second key feature of Confirmation has been diluted at best if not removed.
It is also worth noting at this stage that Confirmation can only be done by a Bishop whereas baptism and admission to communion are administered by parish clergy.
So how did we get here and where does it leave us with Confirmation?
The early church was working out how to be church. For three hundred years theologians scratched their heads working out who Jesus really was, how to replicate the worship and practices of the very early believers firstly while facing persecution and then eventually as the official religion of the Empire (312 onwards). By 325 some of the big questions had been settled at Nicea, with an agreed creed (not the last word but an important one that we say today).
For 1500 years there was only one church effectively and historically its centre of gravity changed and split but settled in Rome in the West. There was a bit split between East and West in the 11th century and within a couple of hundred years there were at least two Popes in different cities! But in time it settled and rites and practices as well as structures and theologies settled, including with regard to baptism and Holy Communion.
A belief grew up within this tradition that to die unbaptised risked eternal damnation at a time when infant mortality ran very high. Therefore babies would be baptised as early as possible, similar to the Jewish rite of circumcision with 8 days. That meant that as the West was in a state of Christendom – where Christianity was the universal religion – then almost every one had been baptised.
A second stage sacrament of Confirmation grew up to complete what had been started with the infant baptism. The important features were firstly that the Bishop performed the rite, who has the cure of souls through “apostolic succession” (ie Bishops can be traced back through the generations back to the original Apostles, especially the role of Peter in Rome). Secondly it involved a laying on of hands that was seen as necessary for the work of God to be completed – by claiming that aspect from certain baptisms in the book of Acts.
An aside, is that every vicarage or rectory is supposed to have one bedroom with a sink. This is known as the “Bishop’s bedroom” and dates back to a time when Bishop’s would get on their horse or take their carriage and travel from parish to parish seeking people to confirm. When darkness came the local curate would be expected to put up the Bishop in the room set aside for the purpose, and clergy housing has a Bishop’s bedroom to this day!
The Reformation in the 16th century challenged a number of aspects of mediaeval Roman Catholic practice. That included the access to the Communion in both kinds (bread and wine) as well as the Word of God in the language of the people. Some movements included a challenge to the idea of infant baptism, in favour of “believers baptism” (Anabaptists) where baptism required the profession of faith by the person themselves.
Turning the clock forward 500 years we see a very different situation. Baptism is the exception rather than the rule in society generally. Many are not baptised as infants, instead coming to the sacrament if they do as adult believers.
The Church of England is a reformed Roman Catholic church. The church in England that Henry Viii took control of was the Roman Catholic church. The Church of England reformed to an extent but kept much that was Roman (for that was Henry’s heart really).
And so now, with changes in society and with a church that is neither one thing nor another historically – a via media, middle way – then we now have a rite that has moved away from its original purpose. And to some is unnecessary or worse makes no sense.
But this is where I commend it to you. To consider and to support. For it is the epitome of Anglican identity as a church that honours its history and offers opportunities in the flexible liturgy for expression of deep worship.
My contention is that Confirmation does not add anything to your baptism. But it can in some ways confirm what happened there, not least in the opportunity to speak a testimony of what God means to you and to restate baptism vows and ask the Holy spirit to meet with you special outpouring of grace.
My own experience was a late decision to be baptised by my Vicar in the morning and then presented for Confirmation in the evening. The morning experience was underwhelming, with water dripping down the neck of my shirt in front of the whole congregation. The evening on the other hand, I knelt before the Bishop and I can only describe it as like a powerful static electricity between his hand and the top of my head. Nothing to do with the Bishop and everything to do with the way in which God manifested his blessing and anointing that day. Literally electric!
As our candidates present themselves on Sunday please pray for them, and if you can, come along to support them as they make this free will step. They actually don’t have to but they all feel called to meet with God in this way. It will be a special event.
Every blessing
Doug vicar@chritchurchpurley.org.uk
*https://www.psephizo.com/life-ministry/is-baptism-enough/
ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT