Liberty University’s Convocation Nov. 5 and Nov. 7 invited students to look beyond the surface, to behold the glory of Christ and live in the legacy of faith that reflects him.
Speaker and author Jackie Hill Perry urged students during Wednesday’s Convocation to see Jesus as he truly is, not as they prefer him to be. On Friday, the Robertson family of “Duck Dynasty” followed with a family-centered discussion on living out that faith daily, showing students how belief transforms from theology to testimony.
Perry opened her message by focusing on John 1, connecting it to Genesis 1 and drawing a line from creation to revelation.
“This morning we’re going to behold the Word,” Perry said, setting the tone for a message deeply rooted in Scripture.
Her message centered on the idea that words reveal the nature of the speaker, and God’s words reveal his character.
“Words have a revelatory function,” Perry said. “The whole point of John’s letter is that you would see Christ, that you would see glory, and that something would be revealed to you about him.”
As she walked through the passage, Perry reminded students of the power in God’s words from Genesis, where he spoke creation into being.
“God’s words reveal God’s nature,” Perry said.
Perry urged students to study Scripture both deeply and personally. She emphasized that students must dive into Scripture to experience God revealing himself to us.
“We must behold Christ,” Perry said. “Because when you look at Christ, his nature is preaching God.”
She also shared a personal story from her life before salvation, recalling when a friend shared the gospel with her. She described how spiritual blindness can cloud even the clearest message.
“I couldn’t make sense of what she was saying because I could not see glory,” Perry said.
She reminded students that faith is not born out of intellect or reasoning, but by God’s divine initiative.
“When you believe Christ, when you received Christ, it was not by way of reason,” Perry said. “When you believed in Christ … it was because God saw you swallowed up by darkness and said, ‘let there be light.’”
That moment of divine illumination, she explained, makes it possible to truly see God.
“It is his divine initiative in salvation through the means of granting light that makes it possible for you to see God,” Perry said.
Even believers, she warned, can drift from that glory.
“It is possible that somewhere in us we still have this indwelling sin that causes us to drift from seeing glory,” Perry said. “There’s something in us where we have eyes to see and ears to hear and theology in our heads and blindness in our hearts.”
Her closing words challenged students to renew their vision of Christ.
“Let us behold him again,” Perry said. “Let us see him again. Because how else will we live up to the image of God that he died for us to walk in?”
Senior Amberlyn Kapl reflected on Perry’s speech after Convocation.
“I enjoyed how Jackie Hill Perry mentioned that Christian Americans take for granted the opportunities we have to see God’s glory,” Kapl said. “As Liberty students, we shouldn’t become complacent and blind to the glory of God that is so evident on this campus.”
Friday’s Convocation took on a more conversational tone with The Robertson family joining Chancellor Jonathan Falwell for a panel discussion. The family shared stories of faith, family life and the lasting impact of the late Phil Robertson, patriarch of “Duck Dynasty.”
“What a legacy,” Sadie Robertson Huff said. “His legacy is one that we’re all so thankful to walk in the wake of. After he passed, it was a whole new appreciation for how he lived his life. You never met anyone who was more intentional about talking about the way he wanted to live his life for Jesus.”
The family shared the memories they had of Phil from the beginning of “Duck Dynasty” to his very last moments. Robertson Huff even shared what her grandfather said to her in his last moments.
“Full strength ahead with a thumbs up,” Huff said.
The Robertsons’ connection to Liberty runs deep. John Luke and Mary Kate Robertson both attended the university, where they began their ministry and degrees together.
“It was never just about the degree, it was about Training Champions for Christ, and our ministry is in our everyday life,” Mary Kate Robertson said.
Robertson Huff and her husband Christian Huff shared how faith shapes their home life and work with their Live Original ministry and “WHOA That’s Good” podcast. However, they told Liberty students that their ministry all starts in the home.
“Our home life is the most important thing. That’s our first ministry and everything else is the overflow,” Robertson Huff said.
Willie and Korie Robertson also spoke about the adventure of following Jesus.
“A life following Jesus is not boring. It is abundant, it is full, it’s not perfect,” Korie Robertson said.
Her husband added to the conversation.
“Hopefully, people can see that light reflected in our lives,” Willie Robertson said. “Whatever it is that we’re reflecting is from him. We’re reflecting what he has done in our lives.”
From Jackie Hill Perry’s reminder to behold Christ to the Robertson family’s encouragement to reflect Him, this week’s Convocations shared a unified message. Faith is both revelation and response. Students were reminded to see the glory of God not only in Scripture but also in their daily lives.
Clardy is an intern for the Liberty Champion.