A Gift for All Time

In Christian homes, one simple reminder of the real reason for the Christmas season has endured¿a nativity set depicting the humble birth of our Savior. Varying in size and material, these little tableaus often become a treasured part of a family's celebration to be passed down through generations. In the 1840s, an immigrant family experiences a catastrophe in a violent storm. They escape the riverboat with their lives, but all of their possessions, including their treasured nativity are dumped into the Arkansas River. In the town of Van Buren, Arkansas, a young woman enlists a local blacksmith to help return the treasured symbol of hope to its owners as they continue to their destination of St. Louis, Missouri. By the time the Civil War causes a massive identity crisis for our country, the nativity scene arrives in Mexico, Missouri, a little worse for wear. There, a soldier recovering from injuries sustained in the War, takes on the project of refreshing and restoring the set as a gift to his lady love. Finally, in a new millennium, the nativity set has completed a full circle. This time, it turns up in the attic of an old church in the Arkansas River Valley, where a college student and her new friend work to restore the spirit of a forgotten little town. After more than a century, the symbol of the first and most holy family becomes the focus once again. God's perfect plan for mankind was fulfilled by the birth of his son in a stable in Bethlehem. A simple representation of this event reaches the hearts of each of its owners, spanning generations. God's love never fails.