Summary: Peter greets and identifies his audience. On the one hand, they are, as followers of Jesus, spread out and out of place among the general Roman world, almost like Jews outside of Israel. On the other hand, they are chosen, set apart, and equipped for this service with grace and peace.
Response: I did not think I would stop here! I thought I'd just barrel on through the formalities and call it good. But there's a bit to chew on here, and I don't want to miss any of these two short books. (I'm going through 1&2 Peter, by the way, having recently gone through Mark, which is kind of Peter's Gospel as well.)
So I definitely appreciate what I find as perspective. Knowing what context you find yourself in helps you know how to act and what to expect. Peter sets his audience up first with a cynical view (cast to the winds, basically), but then makes sure we know we are where we are on purpose. I'll personalize it. I am in my right place. You are in your right place.
And not just that, but Peter prays for us to have "grace and peace." I am becoming wary of lists of "church-y" words like these because my brain glosses right over them and replaces their true meaning with a more general "good feeling from God." Let's fight that. Grace, being forgiven for when we stumble out in the world. We're going to mess up. We... I need to recognize when that happens and seek grace out. Peace, forgiving the world when makes us stumble. I need to be slow to react and seek out peace. Whether it's coming from without or within, I am less effective as a Christ follower when I am enveloped in chaos.
Lord, help me to seek You out. I want to be in this world and equipped by You to do Your will. My will is small and aimless. Let me be a part of Your bigger picture, not apart from it.
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