Seventh-day Adventist® Church

Today the Olympic Torch finished up in a rainy Madejski Stadium, home of Reading Football Club. Oh, how I would love to have been there. My family have various connections with this town in Royal Berkshire. 

It's the royal county name that gives the football team the nickname "The Royals". Unfortunately, I can't boast any royal relations that I know of, not even by nickname. Our association to Reading comes by birth. I was born not far from Reading, and my wife was born in Reading. 

We do have a tenuous link to the Madejski Stadium though. My wife's uncle is good friends with John Madejski, and I have a photo of a table list from the mentioned uncle's 70th birthday party, where my name appears next to John Madejski's! I thought it would be a bit inappropriate to ask him for an autograph, or tell him my Dad used to buy the Thames Valley Trader, which grew into the Auto Trader brand, a car sales magazine, that made John his millions. So I settled for taking his photograph instead! 

John Madejski bought Reading Football Club, and has been the chairman until the end of May this year, when he sold a major share in the club. 

So there is my set of links. I only have royal claim by the fact I was born in Royal Berkshire, and my wife's uncle is friends of the previous owner of a football club called "The Royals". 

But actually there is a link, a strong link, to me being a royal. And you are a royal too!

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 

This text is used in the context of contrast, with those who reject Jesus. 

You are special to God, and if you declare God's praises, you are considered part of God's royal family. And a priest enjoys the presence of God. 

You are royalty. And you don't need to be born in a given place or have the title by heredity. You just have to know Jesus by spending time with Him, and accept that God loves you, and respond by living "Christ approved lives" (1 Peter 2:5 The Message).

-Pr Nathan Stickland