O Holy Night Shepherds, Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The viewer stands at the back of the stable, just behind two kneeling shepherds. The one on the left wears a heavy fleece over a brown tunic and holds his cap in both hands, head bowed. The one on the right, in a moss-green cloak with a rope belt, still grips his tall crook. Between them a white lamb lies quietly in the hay.

Ahead, in a pool of gold, Mary sits beside a manger lined with straw, her veil pale against the warm air, one hand resting on the sleeping infant. An oil lantern hangs from a post on the right, and baskets, jars and rough rails fill the shadows around her. The light seems to fan outward from the child and the lantern together.

It is painted in a loose, impressionist oil style that covers the whole sheet, edge to edge. There is no lettering on the image.

The first visitors

In Luke 2, an angel appears to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night near Bethlehem. Once the heavenly host has gone, they say to one another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass” (Luke 2:15). They come with haste and find Mary, Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.

Afterward they spread the news, and everyone who hears it wonders. Mary keeps all these things and ponders them in her heart, and the shepherds return glorifying and praising God (Luke 2:16-20). The first people invited to see the Messiah were ordinary laborers who smelled of sheep. Many people know this moment best through the carol O Holy Night, whose call to fall on our knees is exactly what these two men are doing.

For the Christmas season

This scene suits a family room where the tree goes up, a dining room set for Christmas Eve, or a church fellowship hall during Advent. It is a warm choice for a choir director, someone who sings O Holy Night every December, a farmer or rancher, or a child who loves the lamb in the story.

The print is made to order in the US as a giclée on thick archival matte paper, with free shipping anywhere in the United States. Frames are not included. Choose a size between 5x7 and 24x36 inches, or a metric or A format, or order the digital file instead.