JESUS AND CHRIS

Jesus Christ sends a text to the cellphone of Christopher Immanuel, a thirty–eight–year–old gay architect living in New York City. After some back and forth, Christopher realizes it's really from Jesus, and they embark on many cellphone calls discussing the state of America today, Facebook, the Kardashians, coronavirus, wars, music, Hollywood, the Gospels, pain, death, modern psychoanalysis, ancient Greece, the Jews, the Old Testament, narcissism, abortion in America, the news media, materialism, the White House, addiction today, and the order of life in general.Jesus explains in detail what happened to him two thousand years ago and why he has decided, steadfastly, to never return to Earth. He invites Christopher to take his place as the next Messiah. Christopher balks at first, but Jesus explains how God and the Virgin Mary have also agreed that Christopher should succeed Jesus as the living Messiah in the year 2022. They have been following Christopher (who was raised Greek Orthodox) ever since he was a little boy, and he is the only person they trust with the gifts and abilities of a real living Messiah. Christopher finally accepts the position, and Jesus continues to groom him in several long calls for his role (and career change) from architect to the Son of Man.

-- Frank Koumantaris