"He said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and hid myself." Gen 3:10 (NRSV)

"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Romans 13:14 (NIV)

Okay, I will admit it. I am a closeted "Oprah" fan. I just love her and her show. Although I rarely have time to watch her anymore, I still visit her website and I do get her magazine. I have a great respect for Oprah because one thing that separates her from many successful people is her dedication to her Spiritual roots and that makes her a bit different than others who may be so famous, in my opinion.

So, I'm going to the bookstore last week to pick up her latest Magazine, "O". It has an obnoxious green labeling on it and I think…hmmm - that should be an interesting color to actually take into my home. Then I look at the titles of articles on the front. I'm at first startled, then feel a bit embarrassed but ultimately, intrigued. For here is a story called "Feel Good Naked: A fabulous 10-point plan, no diet required." Wow, I haven't felt good naked since I turned 40 and, with the curse of that age, I developed love handles and a small belly. So, I bought it and brought the ugly green covered magazine home.

"Feel Good Naked" would be my first choice of stories, off that I was sure, especially when NO diet plan is needed! I feel good about this article. I feel like I can conquer the world! I feel happy because I can feel good naked and not worry about what anyone else thinks! I toss the magazine on my desk and sit down to open the pages. As I make myself comfortable, I relax and my arm slowly comes to rest on my Bible. I then felt shame. What? Why would I feel this way? It isn't as if I would run around naked outside, or even in front of someone else. I just want to know what Oprah says. What is this SHAME about? And I think back on my own modesty that was instilled in me as a child and where that came from. It came from the story of Adam and Eve's fall "from righteousness."

I put Oprah's magazine aside and I open myself to the scriptures. As I go to the Genesis story I see an important fact that I sometimes overlook. It tells us that Adam and Eve were not ashamed of their nakedness until they take the tumble. But then it refers to God "making garments of skins" for both of them (Gen 3:21). As I struggle through this, it occurs to me that perhaps these characters in this story are truly righteous, for they have no sin and then when sin comes into their lives (we aren't talking about apples or oranges here) they must be clothed "because of their sin." Something I had never really thought of prior to this.

I then moved to move to Paul's words. He tells us in Romans to "clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." Is this another way that God has chosen to clothe us? Has God, because of sin in our lives, given us a brand-spanking new set of clothes? One in which we feel protected against the onslaught of everyday bias and cruelty that besets so many who are excluded from the church? Is Jesus our clothing of protection? I believe so. I believe that to be clothed in Christ is the miracle of Grace and Salvation. It is the claim to be inclusive within the family of God and it is our birthright to be who we are and what we become as long as we are clothed as God wants us to be.

So, as I put on my new clothes, directly from God, I feel good! I feel like I can conquer the world! I feel no shame! I feel that I need not worry about what other's think. Hey! I can go naked with no diet required because God has already clothed me in Christ! But don't ever think that you might see me running in the buff anytime soon. I haven't read Oprah's article yet.