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The greeting card industry says Americans buy more than 7 billion greeting cards each year. The top-selling card is for birthdays. Birthday greetings help us remember the day we entered the world. Celebrating important events helps to affirm our identity—who we are. God told ancient Israel to remember without fail the day He delivered them from Egyptian slavery. They were to celebrate that event by roasting and eating a lamb with bitter herbs and bread without yeast. This annual Passover event reminded them that since God delivered them, they belong to Him. While Jesus was on earth and before He went to the cross, He gathered with his disciples for this private celebration of Passover. In an upper room, He transformed the traditional Passover to give it new meaning. He took bread, broke it, and gave some to each of his disciples, telling them that this bread now stood for His body. They should eat it now and in the future as a way to remember Him. He took the cup and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and His people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.” Of all the events that God’s people celebrate, none can be more important than remembering the Christ event. He took the punishment for all our sins and made it possible for us to have eternal life.
