During Spiritual Renewal Week, Jan. 23-27, at John Brown University, Wheaton College Trustee and President Emeritus at Trinity International University Greg Waybright served as the guest speaker for both chapels. On Tuesday’s chapel, Waybright preached from John 9, the passage where Jesus heals the man born blind. He used this passage to deal with the problem of suffering in the world and seeing that suffering in a biblical light.
Waybright centered Thursday’s chapel around John 13 and how seeing the image of God in everyone changes the way Christians interact with each person they meet. Waybright said, “We see no one from a worldly point of view after we have met Christ. We see ourselves differently.” Waybright reminded the student body of the Christian call and ministry to be God’s agents of reconciliation, being compelled by the love of Christ. For Waybright, once a person realizes that the love of the cross is a gift extended to all people, the perspective of the world shifts. The Christian gains new eyes in Christ and the scales of blindness fall.
In an interview with Waybright, he expressed his love and appreciation for the limited time he spent on the University’s campus. “I found the students to be incredibly responsive.” Waybright continued: “I felt I was given an ear to share what God put on my heart.” Waybright especially enjoyed spending an evening with the spiritual leaders on campus. One of his favorite moments was getting to know Chaplain Keith Jagger and seeing his influence on campus. “I think he sees people for who they are in Christ,” Waybright said about Jagger. Waybright also enjoyed his time with Instructor of Worship Arts Connor Young as well as SMLT members Sam Snook and Jonny Quarles, the students who drove him from and to the airport. Overall, Waybright found encouragement being at the University and hopes to one day return.
Waybright drew inspiration from his own life story when developing his chapel messages. When he was 18 years old, Waybright moved to Chicago to work as a volunteer for the Crabini-Green housing project. He spent 1969 through 1971 there, a tumultuous time for that area. But this time proved to be an influential shaping period for him. It challenged many of his beliefs. “The world was different from what I thought it was,” Waybright remarked. It was “this idea that you see no one the way you used to once you realize Jesus died for all” that altered his perspective. “I experienced a lot of love there from the moms and grandmothers.” Waybright found fellowship with a group of African American men Sunday afternoons as a teenager. He came to know them as brothers in Christ, fellow believers who had the wisdom that comes from enduring faith. These Sunday afternoons spent with these men shaped his worldview and ministry.
Waybright dedicates himself to helping bridge the gaps between the world and the Christian Church as well as connecting chasms in the Church. He is passionate about encouraging Christians to be agents of reconciliation. For Waybright, it is the love of Christ that compels biblical reconciliation. According to chaplain Keith Jagger, his presence on campus was deeply felt, saying “Dr. Waybright invested so beautifully in so many places around campus, calling us to be God’s people and live passionately for him. He’s a grandpa for Jesus with an amazing life story; I felt lucky to hear from him.”
(Photo courtesy of the Office of Christian Formation)