Jo Acharya | August 26, 2021

It was reported in the news recently that by donating eye-watering sums of money to political parties, wealthy citizens can earn a regular audience with high ranking UK politicians.

This isn’t a political blog, though. I doubt many of us are surprised to find that the rich and powerful have influence and access that most of us don’t. What made me think of that news story today was reading this Bible verse:

God is infinitely more important and powerful than any prime minister or president, king or queen. So how much does it cost to get an audience with him?

Nothing.

He is available to us 24/7.

He gives us an open invitation and welcomes us with joy every time we come near. He is unendingly patient with our unending requests. He takes seriously our questions and is gentle with our doubts. He engages our garbled emotions with warm compassion.

And his favour does not depend on anything we can give him.

A few years ago, the actor Danny Dyer was featured on ‘Who Do You Think You Are’, a BBC show that traces the family history of its well known guests. Dyer, hailing from the East End of London and famous as a classic cockney geezer, wasn’t too surprised to be told that his ancestors included manual labourers on the docks and regular inmates of the local workhouse. But the further back the researchers traced his family line, the more noble it turned out to be. By the end of the episode Dyer had discovered that he was a direct descendant of English Kings going all the way back to William the Conqueror. After processing the shock, he told his family excitedly, “We’re blue blood, all right?”

You can watch his full reaction below.

So do you get it?

Danny Dyer gets no material benefit from being descended from royalty. He doesn’t get a share in palaces or fortunes. He doesn’t suddenly get to visit Queen Elizabeth whenever he fancies because of their distant family connection. And yet the news of his ancestry revealed a new identity that he’d never known was his. Moats and crowns and coats of arms were suddenly part of his heritage. He was still the working class boy from Canning Town, but now he was something else too: royalty.

Believers in Jesus have a new identity as well. And if Dyer was thrilled by his news, how much more wonderful is it to think that our God is not a long-dead king but a living one, not a distant ancestor but a loving Father who is with us right now and eager to listen to all our concerns. We don’t need to be rich. We don’t need to be royalty. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords welcomes us as his children and makes us his heirs.

We’re blue blood, all right.