Pistachio Pesto and The Gospel

A group from our church, Fort Valley Methodist, took a trip this week for lunch at Ciao Bella, an Italian market in Perry, Georgia. And when I say it's an Italian market, I mean it's an Italian market. Seriously Italian.

Meaning the menu has a whole bunch of words that Reverend Redneck doesn't recognize, stuff like prosciutto and arugula and stracciatella. That's ham, a leafy green vegetable, and a type of cheese, respectively. I Googled all that. Really. Because I was completely clueless.

Talk about pressure. Our group was big enough we're creating something of a line. I didn't know what I was ordering and I have a decidedly unsophisticated palate, as evidenced by the fact that my typical order in a Subway type restaurant is a turkey, ham, or roast beef sandwich with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. I'll add cheese if I'm feeling particularly adventurous. I am a culinary bore, to put it mildly, and I had to make sense of this menu and spit something out before everyone behind me voted to have me tossed.

So, I ordered The Nicolino panini, which is a mortadella and stracciatella cheese sandwich with arugula and pistachio pesto. I asked them to leave off the arugula and if I could get the pistachio pesto on the side.

The nice lady looked at me like I had arugula growing out of my ears. "The pesto on the side?" she fairly sputtered.

I nodded.

"The pesto makes the sandwich," she answered. "It's the reason you come, see? You should try it."

Without the pesto, I was essentially ordering a plain bologna and cheese sandwich. That's hardly a reason to ride 20 minutes on a church bus, so I told her to hit me with the pesto and to spread it on thick. I could always swing by Subway once we got back to Fort Valley, if I had to.

Well, I enjoyed every last bite and I felt like a genuine citizen of Rome once I polished it off. I'd experienced the very essence of an Italian deli, rather than some watered down version. I had gotten the real deal.

That got me to thinking about the Church and the Gospel. People mosey inside our doors looking for something (Someone, actually, though they may not always realize it at first). What do we offer them?

Ultimately, I truly believe the Jesus the world needs is the One who tells them that, yes, they are sinners and that they are truly loved by God Almighty. They need to hear how He came on a search and rescue mission for them. How He went to a Cross for their sins. How He came out of that Tomb and hasn't been back. How He offers grace, forgiveness, and a fresh start for FREE, and how He calls them to repentance and new life at the very same time. All of that - the hard stuff and the grace stuff - all of it, is the very essence of what makes the Church the body of Christ and what makes the Gospel the Good News.

That lady behind the counter knew a bologna and cheese doesn't hold a candle to The Nicolino panini. May we in the Church be just as wise when sharing Jesus with the world. They're looking for the real deal, right?