Advent Guide: You BelongSample

Hope Shines Here®

It was like a spotlight suddenly illuminated the entire room. You've probably experienced one of those moments when a group of people gathered for a brainstorming session knows when something is right. Something is said or written on the whiteboard and everyone in the room just knows.

In 2011, a group of us gathered at a Dallas advertising agency for a brand workshop. We spent the day building the brand promise for Buckner International, parsing every word and selecting sentences and phrases to describe the personality of Buckner. It was a fascinating and exhilarating day.

Near the end of the workshop, after all the elements of the brand promise were assembled, we were asked what three to five words best explained our work. There was a brief discussion and a few suggestions were made when someone asked, "What about hope?"

There was immediate agreement on the word and in a few minutes, one of the agency executives who'd been listening to the conversation said calmly, "Hope shines here." We all knew.

Hope and shine just seem to fit together. Imagine how brightly the Star of Bethlehem must have shined that night, illuminating hope not only for the shepherds but for us as well. It's a hope that still shines today because of the birth of our Savior.

Let's not forget the third word of that tagline – here. At Christmas, we celebrate the fact that Jesus came here, to Earth. God with us. He not only lived here, but he also died and rose again here, giving us the ultimate hope of eternity with him, here on a new Earth.

Our family has gone through some rough times with the loss of loved ones in recent years. But we cling to the hope of salvation promised in Scripture. We know hope abides because in the words of the Apostle Paul, "hope does not disappoint." (Romans 5:5)

Scott Collins is senior vice president of communications for Buckner International. He celebrated his 30th anniversary with Buckner earlier this year.