O Come, Let Us Adore Him, Nativity Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The manger is a wooden trough filled with straw, and the child sleeps in it wrapped in white. Three shepherds in head cloths and homespun cloaks of blue, olive and rust are gathered close. On the left, one kneels holding a small lamb against his chest; in the middle, another stands behind the manger leaning on his crook, head bowed; on the right, a third kneels with his hands pressed together in prayer.

The watercolor is warm and soft on pale paper, with straw scattered around their knees. Above the scene, the words “O come, let us adore him” are lettered in a gentle script.

The shepherds, and the carol

Luke tells how shepherds were abiding in the field near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flock by night, when an angel announced the birth of a Savior and told them the sign: a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. After the heavenly host had sung, they said to one another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem”, and they came with haste and found Mary, Joseph and the babe (Luke 2:15-16).

They were the first visitors, ordinary working men, and when they left they glorified and praised God for all they had heard and seen. The lamb in the painting is an artist's addition, but a natural one for shepherds, and it quietly points to the Lamb of God lying in front of them.

The lettering is not a Bible verse. It comes from the chorus of a much-loved Christmas hymn written in Latin in the eighteenth century, Adeste Fideles, which English speakers sing as “O come, all ye faithful”. Its invitation, repeated three times at the end of every verse, is exactly the posture of the shepherds.

For Christmas and beyond

This Christmas piece is lovely above a mantel, in an entry or near the tree, and it is a warm housewarming or hostess gift for a family who celebrates the season with faith at the center. Its gentle colors mean it can stay up well past Epiphany. It also makes a first-Christmas keepsake for a new baby's room.

The Christian poster is printed to order in the United States on thick archival matte paper and ships free there. It comes unframed with a white border, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 and A and metric sizes, or as a digital file.