This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to hear from Cassidy, the Director of Scarlet Hope Denver, about the work they do in Denver. If you missed her invitation to action and partnership, you can re-watch her announcement above.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our neighbor through the joys of life and through its pains. We are called to be there in times of righteousness and in times of injustice. At Park Church, we encourage everyone who calls Park home to live this mission. As always, we are inviting our community to participate, loving and serving our neighbors by getting involved with one of our Missions Partners. Scarlet Hope is a great example of this kind of opportunity!
Mission and Action: Scarlet Hope seeks to love and serve those who are in the adult entertainment industry and to share Jesus with those who are exploited and trafficked.
Who is Served: Scarlet Hope serves those in the adult entertainment industry and often connects with and serves those who are being trafficked.
Why is it Important: There are 65+ adult entertainment establishments in Denver. Colorado is ranked 15th in the U.S. for highest volume of signals to made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Learn more about trafficking and exploitation in Denver. (Source Scarlet Hope).
Ways to Serve: There are opportunities to serve with Scarlet Hope’s Outreach (going into clubs to share Jesus and care for the women there) or by providing meals taken to the clubs.
Give: You can give by visiting Scarlet Hope’s website.
The heavy darkness in the drawing is showing how the psalmist feels. The eyes in the trees are the wicked hiding and their evil deeds. The tumbled down buildings are a picture of the ugliness of sin and injustice going on in normal life and the broken sadness in Psalm 10. The tree with the snake on it shows how sin can also look tempting. The bright kingdom far off represents heaven and the psalmist trusting in God’s faithfulness even in his sadness.
The house is a representation of a safehouse, the place in which you find comfort and safety, though it doesn’t have to be a house; it could be whatever structure provides safety and security for you. The hands are God’s hands. He is our ultimate security, comforter, and protector from all enemies, both visible and invisible. And greenery represents life that exists in God and what can be grown in His presence.
In Psalm 8, the weak are made strong and the lowly become the unexpected rulers of the world. Babies and infants are given power beyond their stature to defeat the enemies of God. And man, whose troubled and broken humanity is made evident in Psalm 7, is granted dominion over God’s glorious handiwork.
I selected Psalm 7 based on the first verse: “O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.” The center photo of the volcanic rock cradling a small piece of coral immediately came to mind as a representation of God’s protection and refuge for us. This rock was about 5 ft up on a 12 ft tall volcanic rock wall that encompassed a small village. The only way that little piece of coral got there from the ocean, to be cradled and protected, was from a ferocious storm. The same place in our lives where we seek shelter, represented by the photo of the crashing waves on the rocks.
Although King David is awash with agony in Psalm 6, he trusts God with his prayer for help. This composition presents a posture that expresses both the heavy weight of being worn down from distress and bowing down in prayer. The placement of the angled rays of light shining from above through the clouds depicts God’s acceptance of David’s prayer. The rain represents the floods of tears David shed.