Scary Harry Gets A Fresh Start
Scary Harry (that’s what I named him—because I imagine he was both scary and, well… hairy) was the type of guy who would be making the headlines in the “Weird & Unusual News” category…
“Howling Streaker Disrupts Funeral”
“Zombie Tomb Dweller On The Loose”
“Goth Gone Wild!”
Here’s how Mark chapter 5 describes Scary Harry:
“When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.” (Mark 5.2-5 NLT)
The Gospel of Luke adds another detail to the story:
“For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.” (Luke 8.27 NLT)
Wow. Scary Harry.
At my daughter’s elementary school, they hand out awards to kids for being “Community Contributors.”
Well, let’s just say Scary Harry wasn’t winning any awards for being a community contributor.
If you think about it, he was a menace to society.
You wouldn’t want to open up a preschool in this town—not with a howling naked guy on the loose.
Scary Harry wasn’t helping to improve the quality of life in that region.
He wasn’t adding anything positive. He was a detriment.
However, Jesus saw value in Scary Harry.
He didn’t ignore him or run from him. He stopped and talked.
Jesus cared about Scary Harry. He healed him and set him free. He gave Scary Harry a fresh start.
“A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane…” (Mark 5.15 NLT)
Talk about a turnaround!
Not only was Scary Harry healed and whole—he also had a new story to write.
“As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man (Scary Harry) begged to go with him. But Jesus said, ‘No, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.’ So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.” (Mark 5.18-20 NLT)
Scary Harry became a community contributor.
He lived with new purpose.
He was on a mission.
He was making a difference.
He had a story to tell—Good News to share.
His life became a vivid example of grace, second chances, a clean slate…
And that’s what a God-given fresh start will do in you too.
I am a husband, father, pastor, leader & reader. I love God, love people & love life.
What a great read – just sorry it’s taken me 4 years to find it! On a related note, some good Church friends of mine have recently established a local charity called Fresh Start – the concept being working with job seeking folk to give them some practical skills in order to help them onto the job ladder. I was wondering where you sourced your Fresh Start image on here as it might be something we’d like to use (or similar) for the charity (eg; on the side of their van!) … I was wondering about copyright etc? Anyway, it sounds like you’re a busy man – husband, Father, pastor, leader etc … where are you based precisely and which Church or community?
Thanks Kevin. I made the image in the Spring of 2012 for a sermon series at my church – NWLife (nwwlifechurch.com). The font used is Riesling Regular. I used a gradient paint to give the brown to bright green effect. The basil plant is stock footage. The image isn’t large enough to scale on something like a van or a big sign – it was created at 150dpi (9″ tall by 15″ wide) – for use on screens. I think someone could recreate it easily on a larger scale. The image isn’t copyright protected… I have seen it “borrowed” (used online) by other churches.
NWLife Church is in Renton WA – just south of Seattle.
Thanks again! Wishing your friends the best of luck with Fresh Start – the charity sounds super cool.
Thanks for the comprehensive response :O) … Just wondering if you’ve got the original image files (jpg, png or similar) that would give us the best possible resolution to start off with? Thanks so much for your help with this.