As we enter into another All Saints Day which, as a congregation, will observed this Sunday I am caused to reflect on Baptism. For many of my non-Lutheran Christian friends and those that were not raised in the Lutheran tradition or have been influenced by other traditions the saving act of Baptism is forgotten. So many focus on the water and belief it has to do with the promises of the baptized or the choices of the baptized after Baptism, but this makes the act of Baptism merely a symbol or simply an act of obedience. For me, this is a hopeless act as we can not do anything to save ourselves. We do not create faith in ourselves, but faith comes to us as an alien act given to us by God and God alone. He is the only one that can give us faith. Unfortunately, the lack of biblical understanding paired with a loss of catechetical study has left many in a dry desert of hopelessness that has hidden the Gospel. The Gospel reveals to us the present and always current promise of Baptism as a saving act as Jesus speaks of in Mark 16:16. It is the Word that we cling to as Paul reminds us in Titus 3:5-8 and Romans 6:4. We are transformed forever and daily by the waters that flow over us, burying us. These are the promises that we cling to as we lay taking our final breaths knowing that our Baptism is valuable. "I am baptized!" is our words of victory given to us through Christ and Christ alone.