As we look at episodes from the Christmas Story in new artworks from the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection, we come this week to the moment in the narrative when the news of the coming of the Messiah goes "viral" and a host of angels announce Christ's birth to shepherds "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8, KJV)." Some biblical commentators contend that shepherds in 1st Century Palestinian ranked low in social standing and pursued a trade that kept them ritually unclean, but the royal house of David was founded by a shepherd and Christ would use the time-honored image of the Good Shepherd to describe himself. In this linocut print with sharp tonal contrasts by German Artist Otto Schubert, most likely dating from his expressionist period in the 1920s, the heavens have blown open to reveal a round-dance of angels announcing the Messiah’s birth. The German text in pencil on the bottom margin quotes Luke 2:14(KJV): “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men.” This Annunciation to the Shepherd scene can be found on the Otto Schubert biosketch page in the Sacred Artists section. (John Kohan)