Taking Confirmation Seriously

Today's sermon was a great example of preaching with a deep love for your people and a healthy fear of God. It was a confirmation service and one of the two boys being confirmed was the pastor's son. The sermon, and in some sense the whole service, was a celebration and exhortation for the confirmands, who were draped in a white garment and spent the service directly in front of the pulpit or kneeling at the alter. The pastor was noticeably affected by the presence of his son, his preaching was more impassioned. His burden for the souls of his "congregation" was obvious, providing a good example of how all preaching should be.

I'm not sure about the Biblical basis for confirmation (although there's historical basis), but the Lutherans certainly make more of it than the Presbyterians. Most of the confirmation ceremonies I've seen in Presbyterian churches are squeezed into the regular liturgy and come across as half-hearted--the confirmands I saw today won't soon forget theirs.