Ways the Lutheran liturgy helps us remember our baptism:
1) Invocation: the words “in the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit” recall our baptism which is administered to us in that name as the object of our faith.
2) Confession of sins: when we confess our sins out of contrition or sorrow for our sins and ask God to forgive us for Christ’s sake, we are living out our daily baptism which really is daily repentance. We also remember the promise that is given unto us in baptism which is Christ died for our sins.
3) Words of Absolution: we hear Christ crucified as in whom there is no condemnation, which is the baptismal promise we received and continued to look to. More, the words forgive us our sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which (as is the case with the invocation) recalls our baptism in regards to the name it is administered in.
4) Prayer of the Day: we pray for our daily renewal (which is our daily baptism), trusting in our Savior of whom we are clothed with in our baptism. And we give thanks to our Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, which once again recalls the Trinity as object of our baptismal faith.
5) Bible readings and sermon: since baptism is really God’s word to us, not just water, hearing God’s word read regularly from selective parts of the Old and New Testaments serve as means to nourish us in our baptismal faith in God’s word, especially in the gospels of which we stand to give honor to the words and actions of Christ, whom we are joined to in baptism.
6) Creed: in speaking the creed out loud we recall our baptismal faith in the Trinity, as well continue to confess to our trust in the baptismal promises of Christ’s forgiveness won at the Cross for us and reception of the Holy Spirit. That is particularly true when we confess to one baptism for the forgiveness of sins in the Nicene Creed.
7) Lord’s Prayer: as baptized children of God, forgiven of our sins, for Christ’s sake, we have access to our Heavenly Father, we can ask in prayer of Him. Asking Him to forgive us our sins recall His baptismal promise to do exactly that and saying we forgive those who sinned against us recalls our baptismal regeneration that makes us a new creation who can forgive since we have been forgiven in holy baptism of infinitely more sins.
8) Preface: we have the baptismal promises God is with us, we can as baptized children, in Christ, give Him thanks, and in unity with all those baptized into Christ and saved in Him we can glorify Him for saving us.
9) Sanctus: in glorying God for saving us, by His power and mighty we recall our baptism when He indeed saved us and continues to save us, by freeing us from bondage to sin.
10) Words of Institution/Distribution: we are given the word that the body of Christ is given for us and the blood of Christ is poured out to forgive us our sins, and in receiving the forgiveness Christ delivers us, our baptismal faith that we are forgiven sinners in Christ is strengthened.
11) Agnus Dei: in singing John 1:29 out loud, we are singing of the baptismal faith we daily possess that Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God that takes away our sin, and baptism provides us the means of receiving what He did for us and gives us the faith to receive our Savior in the Lamb’s Supper.
12) Song of Simeon: baptism and communion alike give us what Simeon and others in the gospels got and that is be in the real presence of Christ. And like Simeon, we have Christ’s peace and assurance we are His as baptized children of God who partake of Christ’s body and blood to strengthen that baptismal assurance.
13) Benediction: we say we are baptized not just we were baptized because our baptism stays with us daily in regards to God keeping us daily in Christ, blessing us with His justification and giving us His peace that Christ can only give us.
Here we stand.
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