MOSES REPLACED by RUFUS 2

installment 2:

Rufus’s mind was racing, he could not remember ever having read or been told anything about things God did since those times back in Bible days. The only thing close to a direct confrontation with God since Bible days was when someone in a remote area of his adopted land, Mexico, saw a shadow on a barn door or burnt spot in a potato chip they thought looked like Jesus or his mother Mary. These things were always good for a few days but were always quickly explained or laughed off and forgotten soon after they were revealed. As for someone actually talking to God and knowing for sure it was him these things hadn’t happen for years. Rufus mind continued to spin a mile a minute. He was sure he had not had a drink in over 30 years but he did smoke one of his boys locoweed cigarettes a couple of times a week and maybe the buildup over a long period of time was effecting him.

Rufus had almost convinced himself this was some hallucination brought on by his age or the funny cigarettes he’d been sneaking around his wife to smoke. Just as he turned to get out the hell out of there the voice spoke again. “Rufus, you are not going crazy, this is not a vision caused by the dope you’ve been smoking and you better not walk away while I’m talking to you”, the Lord sounded pretty serious. “But God, I gotta be the last person in the world you would pick for this job”, Rufus was scared to death by this time. “I don’t make mistakes,” the Lord replied. “Have you ever thought about Moses, what a loser he was when I picked him”, the Lord continued. “He had done nothing but grow up a rich kid, living in a palace and never worked a day in his life. At the first little nudge of his conscious he fly's off the handle, kills a man and has to run off to the far desert and beg someone to let him go further out in the desert and to watch a bunch of sheep. He could not even talk plain and I chose him and look what he did”.

“But God, your talking about the United States of America, they sell toys glorifying war, you want me to tell them to quit what they are proudest of because I said so”, the enormity of the task was more than Rufus could get his head around. “I did not tell you to disarm them”, said God, “I only told you I wanted you to be my voice and to deliver my message, I will do the heavy work”. “In fact that is not even all I want you to tell them”, the Lord continued. Rufus was still awed by the first message God had asked him to deliver, what else could he possibly want him say. “If I do this what else do you want me to say”, Rufus was not convinced about the first part and he really wanted to know about the rest of the mission. “Well, I want you to tell the President I don’t want these weapons sold or given to any other allied country, I want them destroyed, and if he wants to talk about ‘inspect and verify’ you tell him not to worry about that, I will handle that from here. You also tell him I want the bounty of the blessed land I have set aside for America, to be used to feed the world. I'm talking about health care, energy, all of it. I use to not have to worry about these things when it came to Americans but in recent years the people have become more greedy and have hoarded the blessings I have given them for themselves and profit, they have become less attuned to the cries of my children right there in America and around the world”. “Can I sit down over here on that rock for a minute”, Rufus ask, his legs were feeling a bit unsteady. “Sure”, the Lord replied, “I know this is pretty heavy stuff, Rufus but it’s got to get done.” Rufus sat down on the rock, already pretty hot in the morning sun. The heat from the dry desert air and the hot rock he was sitting on reminded Rufus of why he should not be questioning God, but nothing could ease the sheer terror he was feeling in his head and heart. “O. K. God”, Rufus said, “don’t get mad, I know who you are and a lot of the things you have done, I have always thought I needed to know a little more about you and always meant to read your book a lot more, but I didn’t. I don’t even go to church, I never give any money to the church and I don’t even have old clothes to give to poor people, I wear mine out or give them to my boys. Why did you come all the way down here to get me in the middle of summer in a Mexican desert? Please don’t get mad for me asking”. “I don’t get mad”, God replied, “those are good questions and I should answer them for you if I’m going to disrupt your family and life the way this will. I’m picking you Rufus because you are the most unlikely person I could find in the world. I do things in my own time and my own way. There have been dozens, no hundreds, who have figured that another Moses was going to be needed and have applied for the job. Some of them have been great men representing me in the finest traditions and beliefs of the faith my son Jesus taught and lived. Others have been impostors and clowns, trying to assume the role without my blessings and direction. The impostors have used my name to acquire great wealth and power among my believers, making a mockery of everything my son and I represent. I need someone at this time that will be seen and accepted as my earthly messenger. I need someone totally unknown to the world, a person unexpected to do great works or to bear great messages, I need for the world to see it is me and I am indeed still supreme and my work is mine alone and not that of earthly powers. I must be seen once again and forever as the one true God”.

Rufus thought he understood, he was even a little disappointed and hurt because as heard it God was saying he was looking for the most insignificant person in the world and he chose him. As Rufus saw it he did not have much of a choice. He really believed this was a real ‘God’ experience and if he was right he either did what God wanted or he’d go to hell, which at Rufus’s age was not something he wanted to even think about.

(to be con’d)