Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Devotional
At some point, I'm certain that you have felt out of place. Like showing up to a Halloween party, but you're the only one who dressed up (or didn't). Or moving to a new school. Being the newbie at the job. Being gay in a home that uses gay as an insult. Being a person of color in a society built to protect whiteness.
Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!
Apply
In what ways have you felt like a parapidemos? What would it look like for everything good from God to be yours?
Pray
God, today I pray for all those in the world who feel left out and abandoned, especially Christians in countries where being a Christian is a crime. May You work quickly to protect them, save them from harm, and shape the world to be a place where loving you makes the world better, not worse. Amen.
- Authorship: traditionally attributed to Peter. Modern scholarship is fairly split. The Greek is polished — more so than you'd expect from a Galilean fisherman — though 5:12 credits Silvanus as secretary, which could explain that.
- Audience: churches in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). The letter addresses social pressure and possibly official persecution. If composed late (Domitian era, ~90s CE), the persecution would have been legislated. If early (60s CE, Neronian), more localized and unofficial.