One Man Wedding
Confirmation fever hit the Dalseth house this weekend, in a flurry of lawn-mowing, tablecloth-ironing and surgery. Confirmation is a very widespread tradition in Norway, with the majority of fourteen-year-old Norwegians going through the motion. It's such a tradition, in fact, that some people get confirmed in non-religious ceremonies. What they're confirming, probably they can't even tell you but they're happy to confirm it, just like the church-goers are happy to defy logic and confirm a decision made by someone else for them, when they were so young that they barely possessed the ability to blink. Sure, they have to go to a few confirmation classes but they get to wear an outfit from Lord of the Rings (which, for the girls, costs something like a thousand pounds), have a banquet held in their honour and take home between two and three grand.
Eline chose to start her confirmation weekend in unconventional style by having emergency keyhole-surgery to remove her appendix at six o'clock on Saturday morning. This meant that she missed the church ceremony but was home in the afternoon to watch all her loving family and That English Lodger tuck into a feast of smoked salmon and Potato Gratin, followed by a truly incredible spread of cakes, the like of which I doubt I will ever see again until I enter into Paradise. The proceedings of the average Confirmation Day are very much like those of a wedding, only for one person: a morning church ceremony in fancy clothes, a meal with the extended family, speeches from parents, embarrassing childhood photos and customised songs set to traditional Norse ditties. They even stand a little plastic figure, all alone, at the summit of the improbably-tall centrepiece cake.
I can't understand how confirmation fits in with anything the Bible says but then I can't think of a way to end this post either. So let me lay a quick update down for you and sign off: Eline is recovering very well and will be playing football again in a fortnight. I am preparing myself for The Biggest Game Of Football Of My Life So Far, coming this Wednesday. And the Dalseth Household (of which I can proudly call myself an honorary member) enjoys leftover cake with every meal. This is Dan, signing off from Indre Arna, Norway.
Eline chose to start her confirmation weekend in unconventional style by having emergency keyhole-surgery to remove her appendix at six o'clock on Saturday morning. This meant that she missed the church ceremony but was home in the afternoon to watch all her loving family and That English Lodger tuck into a feast of smoked salmon and Potato Gratin, followed by a truly incredible spread of cakes, the like of which I doubt I will ever see again until I enter into Paradise. The proceedings of the average Confirmation Day are very much like those of a wedding, only for one person: a morning church ceremony in fancy clothes, a meal with the extended family, speeches from parents, embarrassing childhood photos and customised songs set to traditional Norse ditties. They even stand a little plastic figure, all alone, at the summit of the improbably-tall centrepiece cake.
I can't understand how confirmation fits in with anything the Bible says but then I can't think of a way to end this post either. So let me lay a quick update down for you and sign off: Eline is recovering very well and will be playing football again in a fortnight. I am preparing myself for The Biggest Game Of Football Of My Life So Far, coming this Wednesday. And the Dalseth Household (of which I can proudly call myself an honorary member) enjoys leftover cake with every meal. This is Dan, signing off from Indre Arna, Norway.
posted by Dan at 10:01 pm
7 Comments:
Yeah, never did really get the whole confirmation thing. I was confirmed when I was a teenager, and I did mean it, but I wish someone had just told me about Jesus instead. But hey.
In the early-ish church, confirmation basically was when newly baptised converts had hands laid on them and got filled with the Spirit. But now it's just a bishop with a Holy Spirit Hat (who may or may not have the Spirit. But does have the hat instead).
Maybe I'm just too much of a radical.
But the celebrations afterwards sure did sound fun!
[Talking of weddings, I'm going to send your invite to the return address on the package you sent me. Hope that's ok!]
Tim
With regards to the Bible, I can't think of anywhere where Jesus tells anyone to pray the sinners prayer, or gave an alter call or encouraged us to have quiet times. That doesn't mean that those traditions are useless though. Sure traditions become useless when they are done for their own sakes, where meaning is forgotten or ignored. But we all have our own traditions, our own structures and methods. They are there to facilitate faith.
Let's not confuse the presence of the Spirit with singing contemporary songs and the manifestation of spiritual gifts. The ancient Anglican traditions have deep meaning and have proved useful for hundreds and thousands of Christians throughout the world for hundreds of years.
I believe that to just tell someone about Jesus is pretty much impossible. As if we could cut through all this tradition crap and get back to the true faith. Christianity is not Islam.
We are not the early church. They lived in first century palestine, we live in twenty first century Britain. As the gospel incarnates itself in different cultures the message and methods will vary in nature but will all be focused on Christ.
I guess you will both probably disagree but I'm feeling provocative at the moment.
And twenty-first century Norway!
I think there's value in the blessing the priest gives Tim. Eline chose to get baptised a couple of years ago and her mum was saying to me that even though they know that's what really matters, they're glad that she'll receive the blessing.
And yes, the celebrations were fun, if a little bizarre - reception meal with the seat of honour at the head of the table empty... Looked like a No Man Wedding.
Jon, When I typed about confirmation of a sprinkling fitting into the Bible I was thinking about the realm of baptism. Adult baptism is practised in the Bible, infant baptism is not. The sinner's prayer, altar calls and quiet times, are done not just because they're traditions but because they are logical. But I don't think sprinkling is. And therefore, what is being confirmed?
And actually, I don't regard the tradition as useless. My church is setting up confirmation classes at the moment, to begin in the autumn. If you're fourteen and in the Arna area, sign up.
I'll let Tim speak for himself but (may I ask) why do you feel it's so hard to just tell people about Jesus?
can we see photos of the cakes?
Here they are! As you can see, the quantity is fairly impressive, but the quality is more important and, let me tell you, they were all Grade A cakes.
yum.
is that a cake man tower?
Forgive me Jodie, I've neglected your question...
No, it's the centrepiece Stack O' Cake. The stuff it's made of tastes a bit like Savlon actually, but in a good way. Note the lonely bride-like figure perched at the top.
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