, georgia. he was 100, the nation's longest

living president. ♪ [♪ organ music♪ ]

[♪ organ music ♪] ♪

[♪choir sings "be still, my soul"♪]

[♪choir sings "be still, my soul"♪]

>> ♪ when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored ♪ be still, my soul; when change and tears are past ♪ all safe and blessed we shall meet at last ♪♪ [♪choir sings "be still, my soul"♪]

all safe and blessed we shall meet at last ♪♪ ♪

[♪choir sings "be still, my soul"♪] >> ♪ be still, my soul; the lord is on thy side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to thy god to order and provide; in every change he faithful will remain ♪

be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end ♪ ♪ [♪choir sings "be still, my soul"♪] ♪ be still, my soul; thy god doth undertake ♪ ♪ to guide the future as he has the past thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake; ♪

all now mysterious shall be bright at last be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know ♪ his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below ♪ [♪ organ plays "be still, my soul" ♪]

♪ be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever with the lord ♪ ♪ when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored ♪ be still, my soul; when change and tears are past ♪ all safe and blessed we shall

meet at last ♪♪ [♪ orchestra plays "be still, my soul" ♪] ♪ all safe and blessed we shall meet at last ♪♪

>> present arms present arms!

[♪"hail to the chief" plays"♪] ♪

>> let us also pray for all who mourn. that they may cast their care on god and know the consolation of his love. almighty god, look with pity on the servers of your servants for whom we pray. remember them, lord in mercy. nourish them with patience. comfort them with a sense of your goodness. lift up your countenance upon them, and give them peace, through jesus christ our lord, amen.

♪

[♪choir sings♪]

>> ♪ rise up, follow me, come away, is the call, with the love in your heart as the only song;

there is no such beauty as where you belong; rise up, follow me, i will lead you home. [♪"the road home," by stephen paulus♪] i am the resurrection and the [♪n paulus♪]

"i am the resurrection and the light," sayeth the lord. "he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. i know that my redeemer lives and that he shall stand, that the latter-day upon the earth.

and though this body be yet shall i see god whom i shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. for none of us live in to himself, and no man dies to himself. >> ready, step. ready, step. ready, step. ready, step. ready, step.

ready, step. ready, step. ready, step. forward, marge. march. center. face. ready, down. >> for if we live and if we die, we die unto the lord. >> ready, three.

ready, face. forward, marge. -- march. >> for none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. or if we live, we live unto the lord. and we die unto the lord. whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the lord's. blessed are the dead who die in the lord. even so, sayeth the spirit, for they rest from their labors. the lord be with you.

>> and also with you. >> let us pray. o god, whose mercies cannot be numbered except our prayers on behalf of your servant, james. and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy in the fellowship of your saints, through jesus christ our lord , who lives and reigns with you and the holy spirit, one god, now and forever. amen.

>> my grandfather started taking a midshipman in the naval academy. he thought every sunday from world war ii took over. for all his troubles, he started his life so that he was a home in plains to teach at maranatha on sunday. it was central to his life. every time we went to church

with him, it was packed. the line started before sunrise, and i was on the very -- i was always very thankful that i got to walk in with my grandfather. as soon as we sat down, sunday school would start. my grandfather always begin by asking if anybody had been in his church before. my grandmother and i raise our hands and almost no one instead. and then my grandfather polled the congregation and we quickly would fight of the church was full of people from all over the country, of all different backgrounds and beliefs. and my grandfather would address the most diverse sunday school class ever assembled, again. before he would deliver his bible lesson, my grandfather talked about his week. if you monitored an election, he would talk about it. if you stopped a conflict, he would talk about it. if he eliminated a disease from a village or a country, he would talk about it.

when my brother jeremy died, he announced that news in sunday school. in fact, remember that my brother died on a sunday, because it was the only time my grandfather was ever late to teach. my grandfather won the nobel peace prize. the sunday school class learned first. at the end of his nobel peace prize lecture, he stated the most serious and universal problem on our planet, was the growing chasm between the richest and the poorest people on earth. for the next two decades the as the problem compounded, he returned to this theme, with stories from the bible. and stories from today. of the richest people in the world using their enormous wealth to buy our nation's poverty. many of the people that my grandparents helped live on less than one dollar a day. my grandfather spent the entire time i have known him helping those in need.

he built houses for people who needed homes. he eliminated diseases in forgotten places. he waged peace anywhere in the world. whatever he saw a chance, he loved people. and whenever he told these stories in sunday school, he over said that he did it for one simple reason. he worshiped the prince of peace . and he, commanded it. the bedrock of my grandfather's faith comes from the apostle paul's letter to the romans, chapter eight, one through 18, 38, 30 nine. "therefore, there is not condemnation for those who are in christ jesus. because through christ jesus, the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

for what the law was powerless to do and that was weakened by the sinful nature, god sent his own son in the likeness of the sinful man to be a sin offering. so he condemned sin in the sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the lot might be fully met in us, who didn't live according to the sinful nature, but according to the spirit. those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on like that nature desires. but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. the mind of sinful man is death. but the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace. the sinful mind is hostile to god. it does not submit to god's law, nor can it do so. those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please god.

you however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the spirit. that the spirit of god lives in you. and if anyone does not have the spirit of christ, he does not belong to christ. but if christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. and if the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who lives in you. therefore, brothers, we have an obligation. but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it . for if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die but if by the spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body , you will live. because those who are led by the spirit of god are sons of god.

for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear. but you received this. spirit of ssonship. the spirit himself testifies that we are god's children. if we are children, then we are heirs. heirs of god and co-heirs with christ. if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory, i consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us, for i am convinced that neither death, nor life. neither angels, nor demons. neither the present, nor the future. nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of god that is in christ jesus our lord

. the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god.

>> before i start, the carter children -- my wife and i were sitting several rows behind you, we were praying for you, and i was humbly reminded that it was

18 years ago almost to the day, that our family sat in that very row and, supporting my mom. and it was your dad and his great faith that supported my mom and gave her hope. he traveled with us for several days, and we were blessed, so, thank you. god did a good thing when he made your dad. [voice breaks] jack, chip, jess, amy, mr., madam vice president, former presidents, first ladies, members of the house of representatives and the senate. justices of the supreme court,

distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. in the twilight of my dad's life , dad and president carter spoke by phone, and dad asked president carter if he would do a eulogy at dad's funeral. president carter graciously agreed, and then he also asked if dad would deliver a eulogy at president carter's funeral. [laughter] now, dad was thrilled to agree. after that call, as you can imagine, both of them got off the phone and had a pretty good chuckle, considering which one of them would return in-person, to deliver that second eulogy. [laughter] as you know, dad died in 2006. and president carter's eulogy

continues to bring comfort, smile, laughter, joy, pride to our family. and thus on behalf of my dad, it's an honor to share dad's eulogy to his old friend. [sighs] i can just see my dad getting his yellow legal pad out with his pen and and writing this for his beloved friend. "by fate of a brief season jimmy carter and i were rivals. but for the many wonderful years that followed, friendship bonded us as no two presidents since john adams and thomas jefferson.

it is said that president adams's last words were thomas jefferson still survives now since jimmy has a good decade on me, i hedging my bets by am entrusting my remembrances of jimmy to my son, steve. according to a map, it's a long way between grand rapids, michigan, and plains, georgia. but distances have a way of vanishing when measured in values rather than miles. and it was because of our shared values that jimmy and i respected each other as adversaries, even before we cherished one another as dear friends. now, this is not to say that jimmy never got under my skin. [laughter] but has there ever been a group of politicians that didn't do that to one another? during our 1970 six contest,

jimmy knew my political vulnerabilities, and he successfully pointed them out. now, i didn't like it, but little could i know that the outcome of that 1976 election would bring about one of my deepest and most enduring friendships. in the summer of 1981 the two of us found ourselves together again, this time aboard air force one, bound for the funeral of the great peacemaker, anwar sadat. there's an old line to the effect that two presidents in a room is one too many. [laughter] frankly, i wondered how awkward that long flight might be to cairo, and it was a blocks light

-- it was a long flight, but the return trip was not nearly long enough, for it was somewhere over the atlantic that jimmy and i forged a friendship that transcends politics. we immediately decided to exercise one of the provisions of the former president, forgetting that either one of us had ever said any harsh words about the other one in the heat of battle. then we got on to much more enjoyable subjects, discussing our families, our faith, and sharing our experiences and discovering that there is indeed life after the white house. we -- [laughs] commiserated over the high cost of building presidential libraries. [muted laughter] and the even more regrettable fact that most of that

fundraising for these otherwise admirable institutions fell to us personally. on the spot, we agreed to participate in programs at each other's library, beginning with a series of conferences on arms control. and if that wasn't newsworthy enough, we told reporters on the plane that a lasting middle east peace would require the united states to make tough decisions -- like confronting the palestinian issue directly, thereby building on the work to which president sadat had literally given his life. it was the first time, but by no means the last time, that our unlikely partnership ruffled feathers in the washington establishment. now, honesty and truth telling were synonymous with the name jimmy carter.

those traits were instilled in him by his loving parents, lillian and earl carter, and the strength of his honesty was reinforced by his upbringing in the rural south poised on the brink of social transformation. he displayed that honesty throughout his life as a naval officer, state legislator, governor, pesident and world leader. for jimmy carter, honesty was not the aspirational goal, it was part of his very soul. now i think jimmy wrote more books than any former president. i once asked if he really enjoyed writing, he replied with that familiar twinkle in his eye, "it beats picking cotton."

[muted laughter] but i think he enjoyed writing for another reason. as an author, he was under no pressure to tailor his opinions to some political constituency or potential contributor. now both of us had experienced a harsh reality that defeat at the polls can be painful, but we also came to know a more important consequence -- political defeat and writing can also be liberating, if it frees you to discuss topics that aren't necessarily consistent with short-term political popularity. now, jimmy learned early on that it was not enough merely to bear witness in a pew on a sunday morning. inspired by his faith, he

pursued brotherhood across boundaries of nationhood, across boundaries of tradition, across boundaries of caste, in america's urban neighborhoods and in rural villages around the world. he reminded us that christ had been a carpenter. and in third-world villages, he successfully campaigned, not for votes but for the eradication of diseases that shame the developed world as they ravage the undeveloped one. now, of course, not all of jimmy's time was spent building houses, eradicating disease, brokering cease-fires, monitoring elections. while jimmy is probably the only former president to conduct a weekly bible class, i know for

certain he is the only former president to perform a duet of "on the road again" with willie nelson. [laughter] georgia wasn't just on jimmy's mind. it was in his blood. however far he traveled, he never forgot where he came home to or where now, in the end, he would finally come home to. [laughs] of the many things jimmy and i had in common, the most important is this -- we both married way above ourselves, way above. [laughter] with jimmy, every step of the way was his first lady from plains. in a life rich with blessings, none was greater for jimmy than the love he shared with rosalynn and the love the two of them shared with their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.

like jimmy, rosalynn was and is a symbol of american compassion. like no other first lady in our history, rosalynn carter is indeed a true citizen of the world. and she became a beloved friend to my wife, betty, and me and to all the ford family. while the carter and ford men were decidedly mixed record when it came to lobbying congress, rosalynn and betty were unbeatable in their advocacy for millions of people whom they brought out of the shadows of despair and shame. now is time to say goodbye, our grief comforted with the joy and the thanksgiving of knowing this

man, this beloved man, this very special man. he was given the gift of years, and the american people and the people of the world will be forever blessed by his decades of good works. jimmy carter's legacy of peace and compassion will remain unique as it is timeless. the entire ford family, we extend our love to you, and we add our prayers to the prayers of tens of millions of people around the world. may god bless and watch over this good man, may he grant peace to the carter family as they say goodbye to a man whose life was lived to the fullest,

with a faith demonstrated in countless good works, with a mission richly fulfilled and a soul rewarded with everlasting life. as for myself, jimmy, i'm looking forward to our reunion. we have much to catch up on. thank you, mr. president. welcome home, old friend.

>> my father wrote this in 2015 and clearly he edited it a couple of times since then. but here we go. today we join in sadness to honor our dear friend, president carter. for his extraordinary years of principled and decent leadership. and his courageous commitment to civil rights and human rights. i remember the emergence of jimmy carter on the national stage. in particular, his 1971 inaugural address. for the first time a georgia governor called for a commitment to the traditions of martin luther king jr., and for the decency that leadership has stood for over his lifetime. i was surprised when then-candidate carter

asked me to join him as his runningmate in 1976. he amazed me then, as he has every year since. he, of course, was brilliant. he also had a great sense of humor. and while we had only four years in the white house, he achieved so much in that time. it stood as a marker for americans dedicated to justice and decency. carter was a man of his word. i remember when he talked about the concept of the vice presidentsy. i told him i'd like to do it and had only two requests. i wanted to make a real contribution and i didn't want to be embarrassed as many of my predecessors had. he agreed, welcomed my full participation and directed his staff to

treat me as they would him. he was very careful to protect me from the frustration and too often humiliation that had cursed the lives of many vice presidents. i want to thank the president for the good choices he made with his key personnel. we don't have time to mention many of them, but stu eizenstat comes as close as possible to rivaling president carter's formidable work ethic. hamilton jordan and jodie powell were blessings every day. to me, to the president, and to the nation. one of the things that dawned on me during the course of our time together is how well we worked together and how we understood each other. i think one of the realities was that carter was a devout christian who grew up in a small town and was active in his faith for

almost every moment of his life. i was also a smalltown kid who grew up in a methodist church where my dad was the preacher and our faith was core to me. as carter's faith was core to him. that common commitment to our faith created a bond between us that allowed us to understand each other and find ways to work together. he allowed me to take a leadership role on issues that never would have happened before. for instance, he directed and trusted me to take a central role in trying to bring decency to the vietnamese and southeast asian boat people who were fleeing their country. with president carter's orders, the boat people were picked up by our great navy from their flimsy boats which were capsizing and taken to safety. most became good american citizens

working for a healthy and prosperous nation. joan loved her time as a second lady and we have jimmy and rosalynn to thank for helping her champion the public arts and for just being so kind to her. these were good years for joan and i. president carter and i became very close friends. we often spent hours together throughout the day. we were working on real problems, not wasting time. the personal relationship we established while in office continued throughout our life. carter was far-sighted. he put aside his short-term political interests to tackle challenges that demanded sacrifice. to protect our kids and grandkids from future

harm. very few people in the 1970's had heard the term climate change. yet carter put his presidency on the line to pass laws to conserve energy, deregulate new oil and gas prices, and invest in clean, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. it wasn't a perfect program, but thanks to president carter, u.s. energy consumption declined by 10% between 1979 and 1983. in many ways, he laid the foundation for future presidents to come to grips with climate change. some thought he was crazy to fight so hard to pass these laws. but he was dead right and we know that now. we also know that president carter elevated human rights to the top of his agenda.

sometimes, sometimes we forget how seriously he pursued, he pushed to advance the rights of women. he proposed and signed the law extending the period for states to approving the equal rights amendment. he appointed women to head the departments of commerce, education, h.u.d. and what is now h.e.w. women on his white house staff played crucial roles in developing his highest priority, energy and environmental proposals. and he dramatically increased the ranks of female circuit and district court judges. including ruth bader ginsburg. in all, in all he appointed five times as many women to the federal bench as all of the previous presidents had from the beginning of our country.

two decades ago, president carter said he believe income inequality was the biggest global issue. more recently, in a 2018 commencement address at liberty university, he said, i think now the largest global issue is the discrimination against women and girls in this world. he concluded that until stubborn attitudes that foster discrimination against women change, the world cannot advance and poverty and income inequality cannot be solved. towards the end of our time in the white house, the president and i were talking about how we might describe what we tried to accomplish in office. we came up with a sentence which remains an important summary of our work. we told the truth.

we obeyed the law. and we kept the peace. that we did, mr. president. i will always be proud and grateful to have had the chance to work with you toward noble ends. it was then and it will always be the most rewarding experience of my public career. thank you.

♪

>> ♪ o hear us when we cry to thee ♪ ♪ for those in peril on the sea ♪ ♪

>> o trinity of love and power ♪ ♪ your children shield in danger's hour ♪ ♪ from rock and tempest fire and foe ♪ ♪ protect them where so er they go ♪ thus evermore shall rise to thee ♪ ♪ glad hymns of praise

♪ from land and sea ♪ ♪ amen ♪♪

♪♪ ♪ >> jimmy carter was as close to being a renaissance man as any president entering the oval office in modern times. he was skilled in an astonishing array of activities. farmer, businessman, nuclear engineer, naval submarine officer, wood worker, painter, fly fisherman, music lover,

poet, author, sunday school teacher, creator of the carter center, and, yes, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather and nobel peace prize winner. behind that toothy smile was a man of steel determination, discipline, and self confidence. in 1974 when he was governor of georgia i suggest if you ran for president and won a few southern primaries, he might get lucky and be the vice presidential nominee for regional ballots. with his boadest grin he said, stu, i decided to run. but i will be the democratic nominee for president not vice president. for one of our nation's most religious presidents, it's

appropriate to celebrate jimmy carter's remarkable life in this magnificent cathedral. his religious values gave him an unshakable sense of right and wrong. animating his support for civil rights at home and human rights abroad. and propelling him to major achievements as the only democratic president-elected between 1968 and 1992. his faith brought integrity to the presidency after the watergate and vietnam eras. i'll never lie to you, he promised. it was a vow he fulfilled. his faith respected other religions as well.

he was the first president to light a hanukkah menorah. he created the holocaust memorial museum. he had a kosher shabbat dinner at camp david for the israeli delegation. and came to our house for passover seder only weeks after he negotiated the treaty between israel and egypt. as we lay our 39th president to rest, it's time to redeam his presidency and also lay to rest the myth that his greatest achievements came only as a former president. the test of american presidents is not the number of years they serve but the duration of their accomplishments. by this measure jimmy carter was among the most consequential one-term presidents in american history. his intellect, work habits, discipline, and details were crucial to his success at home and abroad.

president carter parked politics at the oval office door to do what he believed was the right thing, taking controversial challenges on regardless of the political consequences, and frankly there were many. much of his agenda passed with bipartisan support, a quaint notion in today's hyper polarized politics. independent surveys indicated he had one of the highest success rates in passing major legislation of any american president. and he was remarkable -- remarkably accessible to the press and the american people. this president from the deepest part of the deep south championed civil rights, appointing more people of color and women to senior

executive positions and judgeships than all previous 38 presidents before him. he created the department of education and dramatically increased funding for low and moderate income students. and we can thank him for all the ethics in government laws, comprehensive civil service reform, the creation of fema to coordinate natural disaster relief, and rebuilding remain crucially important today and we see it in los angeles. jimmy carter was also the greatest environmental president since theodore roosevelt, adding 80 million acres in alaska to the national park service. his global 2000 report forecast, climate change. his energy bills were critical to move our country from dependence on foreign oil to energy security.

we are now as a result the largest oil and gas producer in the world. he provide the first incentives for conservation, inaugurated the era of clean energy, and symbolized it with solar panels he installed on the white house roof. underappreciated at the time, but now widely recognized by republicans and democrats alike, president carter was the great deregulator. winning legislative battles to loosen the regulatory bonds and shackles on airlines, thereby democratizing air travel. on trucking and rails, therefore helping our supply chains be more efficient. telecommunications leading to the cable tv era. and even the beer industry.

which he encouraged local craft beers. he did so without compromising health and safety. these laid the foundations for today's innovative economy. nothing better embodies president carter than how he dealt with the inflation that beleaguered the nation under three presidents, two republican, nixon and ford, and himself, during the 1970's. over the objection of all of his advisors, he chose paul volcker to lead the federal reserve, knowing in advance that volcker's tough monetary policy would raise interest rates and unemployment because paul told him that. and would do so in a presidential election year. you take care of the economy, paul. i'll take care of the politics.

inflation, indeed, dropped like a rock after he left office. and remained low for decades. abroad, jimmy carter laid the building blocks for a better world. he was the first president to make human rights a priority for u.s. foreign policy. and this led directly to the release of thousands of political prisoners in latin america and stimulated them to a lasting democratic transition. he ushered in a new era of hemispheric relations with the panama canal treaties, the toughest legislative battle of his presidency.

he uniquely combined the soft power of human rights, championing freedom for the communist east block countries, and tripling the immigration of soviet jews. he combined that with hard power, rebuilding america's military strength after its post watergate decline. he negotiated a major nuclear arms treaty with the soviets, while at the same time initiated every single weapons system that came online in the 1980's. those new weapons helped end the cold war. he normalized relations with china, and even his critics applaud his tough measures after the soviets invaded afghanistan. jimmy carter's most lasting achievement, and the one i think he was most proud of, was to bring the first peace to the middle east through the greatest act of personal diplomacy in american history. the camp david accords. for 13 days and nights, he negotiated with israel's begin and egypt's sadat. personally drafting more than 20 peace proposals

and shuttling them between the israeli and egyptian delegations. and he saved the agreement at the 11th hour and it was the 11th hour, by appealing to begin's love of his grandchildren. for the past 45 years, the egypt-israel peace treaty has never been violated and laid the foundation for the abraham accord. on the other side of the ledger was iran. jimmy carter did not lose iran, the shah did. but the hostage crisis was a major factor in denying him a second term. despite his support for the shah. because he placed the safe return of the hostages above his own political fortunes. he took full responsibility for the failure of the bold hostage rescue mission

and worked tirelessly, even after his bitter re-election defeat to ronald reagan, securing their release on the last day of his presidency. in the end, jimmy carter taught all of us how to live a life fulfilled with faith and service. he said, i have one life to live. i feel like god wants me to do the best i can do with it. to let me live my life so that it will be meaningful. well, mr. president, you have more than achieved that goal. he may not be a candidate for mount rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills of making the u.s. stronger and the world safer. jimmy carter has earned his place in heaven, but just as he was free with

sometimes unsolicited advice, for his presidential successors, the lord of all creation should be ready for jimmy's recommendations on how to make god's realm a more peaceful place.

>> in my church when we sing a song that says, "from the moment that i wake up until i lay my head, i will sing of the goodness of god." i don't know how many people in here can say that.

i know i can't. but my grandfather certainly can. from the moment that he woke up until he laid his head, his life was a testament to the goodness of god. and i thank all of you for being here to celebrate this life. to the presidents and first ladies, it is a great honor to have you here. you know the human side of the american presidency like no others. and we appreciate you. to the vice presidents, other distinguished guests, and friends of all kinds, thank you for being here. to those of you who came from all across the world, thank you for being here to celebrate and pay tribute to my grandfather. i say grandfather, but we called him papaw, as many of you know. we called my grandmother, mom carter. we spent our time talking about mom and papaw, and mostly

speaking of the human side of the presidency, letting people know they were regular folks. yes, they spent four years in the governor's mansion, and four years at the white house. but the other 92 years they spent at home in plains, georgia. and one of the best ways to demonstrate they were regular folks is take them by that home. first of all, it looks like they might have built it themselves. second of all, my grandfather was likely to show up at the door in some 70's short shorts and crocs. and then you'd walk in the house and it was like thousands of other grandparents' house all across the south. fishing trophies on the walls. the refrigerator was papered with pictures of grandchildren and great grandchildren. their main phone, of course, had a cord and was stuck to the wall

in the kitchen. like a museum piece. and demonstrating their depression era roots, they had a little rack next to the sink where they would hang ziplock bags to dry. and demonstrating that they change with the times, eventually he did get a cell phone and one time he called me, early on in that process, and my phone it said "papaw mobile." i answered it. hey, papaw. he said, who's this? [laughter] i says, this is jason. he said, what are you doing? i said, i'm not doing anything. you called me. he said, i didn't call you. i'm taking a picture. [laughter] nuclear engineer, right? there were small town people who never forgot who they were and

where they were from no matter what happened in their lives. but i recognize that we are not here because he was just a regular guy. as you have heard from the other speakers, his political life and his presidency for me was not just ahead of its time, it was prophetic. he had the courage and strength to stick to his principles even when they were politically unpopular. as governor of georgia, half a century ago, he preached an end to racial discrimination and an end to mass incarceration. as president in the 1970's, as you have heard, he protected more land than any other president in history. 50 years ago, he was a climate warrior who pushed for a world where we conserved energy, limited emissions, and traded our reliance on fossil fuels for

expanded renewable sources. by the way, he cut the deficit. wanted to decriminalize marijuana. deregulated so many industries that he gave us cheap flights. and as you heard, craft beer. basically all of those years ago he was the first millennial. [laughter] and he could make great play lists, as we have heard as well. maybe this is unbelievable to you, but in my 49 years i never perceived a difference between his public face and his private one. he was the same person no matter who he was with or where he was. and for me, that's the definition of integrity. that honesty was matched by love, it was matched by faith, and in both public and private my grandparents did fundamentally live their lives in an effort as the bible says,

to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their god. sometimes i feel and felt like i shared my grandfather with the world. today's one of those days. but really, he shared the world with me. the power of an atom. the beauty and complexity of a south georgia forest. when we fished, he celebrated the majesty of everything from the smallest minnow to that grand circulation of waters. and he shared this love with my boys. taking these atlanta public school kids out into the fields to show them about row crops and wild plums. in the end, his life is a love story. and, of course, it's a love story about jimmy and rosalynn, their 77 years of marriage and service. as the song says, they were the

flagship of the fleet. and rest assured that in these last weeks, he told us that he was ready to see her again. but his life was also a broader love story. about love for his fellow humans and about living out the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. i believe that that love is what taught him and told him to preach the power of human rights, not just for some people but for all people. it focused him on the power and promise of democracy. its love for freedom. its requirement and founding belief in the wisdom of regular people raising their voices and the requirement that you respect all of those voices not just some. that conviction made him a naval officer who believe and demonstrated, as you heard, that the greatest power of america was not the military but its values. and those values were personal

to him. and he lived them both publicly and privately. as you heard stu say, as president, he gave voice to dissidents. stood up to dictators, brought countries together in peace. his heart broke for the people of israel. it broke for the people of palestine. and he spent his life trying to bring peace to that holy land. and he talked about it at the dinner table. it was the same in public as it was in private. and for the last 40 years, as you have heard, he spent his time living out that love and that faith alongside the poorest and most marginalized people in the world. and that work, again, has been based fundamentally on love and respect. the carter center has 3,500

employees, but only a couple hundred in the united states. the rest are spread throughout the countries where we work. ethiopia, south sudan, chad, bangladesh, and all of the carter centers' programs are based on a respect, that same respect for the power of regular people. even if they are in tiny villages miles from anywhere else. to give one example, we have all heard a lot lately about guinea worm disease. it's an ancient and debilitating disease of poverty. and that disease will have existed from the dawn of humanity until jimmy carter. when he started working on this disease, there were 3.5 million cases in humans every year. last year, there were 14. and the thing that's remarkable is that this disease is not eliminated with medicine. it's eliminated essentially by neighbors talking to neighbors about how to collect water in the poorest and most marginalized villages in the world.

and those neighbors truly were my grandfather's partners for the last 40 years. and as this disease has been eliminated in every village in nigeria, every village in sudan or uganda, what's left behind in those tiny 600-person villages is an army of jimmy and rosalynn carters who have demonstrated their own power to change their world. and that is a fundamental truth about my grandfather. it begins where it ends, when he saw a tiny 600-person village, everybody else thinks of as poor, he recognized it. that's where he was from. that's who he was. and he never saw it as a place to send pity. it was always a place to find partnership and power and a place to carry out that commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.

essentially, he eradicated a disease with love and respect. he waged peace with love and respect. he led this nation with love and respect. for me, this life was a love story from the moment that he woke up until he laid his head. i'll conclude with this. as andy young told me, he may be gone, but he's not gone far. the outpouring of love and support that we have felt from you and from around the world shows how many lives he has touched and how his spirit will live on in many ways for us. he'll be in the kitchen making pancakes. or in his wood shop finishing a cradle for a great grandchild. standing in a trout stream with mom carter.

or for me, just walking those georgia fields and forests where he's from. thank you. ♪

♪ amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me i once was lost, but now am found was blind but now i see

♪ ♪ 'twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved how precious did that grace appear

the hour i first believed ♪ ♪ ♪ through many dangers, toils, and snares i have already come 'tis grace that brought us safe thus far

and grace will lead me home ♪ ♪ and grace will lead me home ♪ ♪

pres. biden: members of the clergy, distinguished guests, most importantly, the carter family. in april 2021, jill and i visited jimmy and rosalynn on a warm spring day down in plains, georgia.

i wanted to see them. rosalynn met us at the front door with her signature smile. together, we entered a home they shared for almost 77 years of marriage. an unassuming red brick ranch home reflects their modesty more than any trappings of power. we walked in the living room where jimmy greeted us like family. that day, just the four of us sat in the living room and shared memories that spanned almost six decades. a deep friendship that started in 1974. i was a 31-year-old senator, and i was the first senator outside of georgia, maybe the first senator, to endorse his candidacy for president. with an endorsement based on our

belief is jimmy carter's enduring attribute, character. character. character. because of that character, i believe his destiny, destiny in our lives, and quite frankly the destiny in the life of the nation. it's an accumulation of a million things built on character that leads to a good life and a decent country. life of purpose, life of meaning. now, how do we find that good life? what does it look like? what does it take to build character? do the ends justify the means? jimmy carter's friendship taught me and through his life taught

me the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. it's the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, that everyone, and i mean everyone, deserves an even shot. not a guarantee, but a shot. you know, we have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor. and to stand up to what my dad used to say is the greatest sin of all, the abuse of power. that's not about being perfect. none of us are perfect. we are all fallible. it's about asking ourselves are we striving to do things, the right things? what value, what are the values that animate our spirit?

to operate from fear or hope? ego or generosity? do we show grace? do we keep the faith when it's most tested? for keeping the faith with the best of humankind and the best of america is a story, in my view, from my perspective, jimmy carter's life. the story of a man, to state the obvious, you heard today some great, great eulogies, who came from a house without running water or electricity. and rose to the pinnacle of power. the story of a man who was at once driven and devoted to making real the words of his savior and the ideals of this nation.

the story of a man who never let the ties of politics divert him from his mission to serve and shape the world. the man had character. jimmy held a deep christian faith in god. and that his candidacy spoke and wrote about. faith as a substance of things hoped for and evidence of the things not seen. faith founded on commandments of scripture. love the lord, thy god, with all thy heart and all thy mind and all thy soul, and love thy maybe -- love thy neighbor as thyself. easy to say but very, very difficult to do. in his life, in this life, any

walk of faith can be difficult. it can be lonely, but it requires action to be the doers of the world. but in that commandment lies the essence of my view found in the gospel, found in many faith traditions, and found in the very idea of america. because the very journey of our nation is the walk of shear -- walk of sheer faith, to do the work, to be the country we say we are, to be the country we say we want to be. a nation where all are created equal in the image of god and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. we've never fully lived up to that idea of america. we've never walked away from it, either. because of patriots like jimmy carter.

throughout his life, he showed us what it means to be a practitioner of good works and a good and faithful servant of god and the people. today, many think he was from a bygone era. but in reality he saw well into the future. a white southern baptist who led on civil rights, a decorated navy veteran who brokered peace. a brilliant nuclear engineer who led on nuclear nonproliferation. a hardworking farmer who championed conservation and clean energy. and a president who redefined the relationship with the vice president. jimmy and i often talked about our dear friend walter mondale

, whom we all miss very much. together, they formed a model partnership of collaboration and trust, as both were men of character. as we all know, jimmy carter also established a model post presidency. by making a powerful difference as the private citizen in america, and, i might add, as you all know, around the world. through it all, he showed us how character and faith started with ourselves and then flows to others. at our best, we share the better parts of ourselves, joy, solidarity, love, commitment. not for reward, but in reverence for an incredible gift of life we have all been granted.

to make every minute of our time here on earth count, that's the definition of a good life. a life jimmy carter lived during his 100 years. to young people, to anyone in search of meaning and purpose, study the power of jimmy carter's example. i miss him. but i take solace in knowing that he and his beloved rosalynn are reunited again. to the entire carter family, thank you, i mean this sincerely, for sharing them both with america. and the world. we love you all. jill and i will cherish our visits with them, including that last one in their home.

we saw jimmy as he always was, at peace with a life fully lived. a good life. a purpose in meaning of character, driven by destiny. and filled with the power of faith, hope, and love. i'll say it again. faith, hope, and love. as he returned to plains, georgia, for his final resting place, you could say goodbye in the words of the prophet micah, who jimmy so admired to his final breath. jimmy carter did justly, loved mercy, walked humbly. may god bless a great american, and dear friend and good man.

may he rise up, be raised up on eagles' wings, beyond the breath of dawn, and make it shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand. god bless you, jimmy carter.

>> a reading from the gospel according to st. matthew.

when jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. his disciples came to him and he began to teach them, saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see god. blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of god. blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and

falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. for in the same way they persecuted the profits who were before you, you are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? it is no longer good for anything, except to be trampled by men. you are the light of the world. a city on a hill cannot be hidden. neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. instead, they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. the word of the lord. >> thanks be to god.

>> the apostle paul, in writing to the ephesians, the fourth chapter of the 32nd verse. be kind and compassionate to one another. forgiving each other, just as in christ, god forgave you. jimmy carter, for me was something of a miracle. i was born in the deep south a few years after him. it was always a place of miracles. i could not see how we could have had the differences in

backgrounds, the coming from different places on the planet, the experiences of slave and slaveowner, the diversity of caller and creed -- color and creed and national origin, and still become the great nation that we are in the united states of america. it was something of a miracle , and i do not mean this with any disrespect, but it is still hard for me to understand how you could get to be president

from plains, georgia. [laughter] i knew plains from my pastorate in thomasville, georgia, 60 or 70 miles south of their, and i was even nervous driving through plains. plains and sumter county gave us one of the most meanest experiences we had in the civil rights movement, so much so that martin luther king said that the sheriff of sumter county, he really thought was the meanest man in the world. and when i first met jimmy carter running for governor and said the only thing i know about plains and sumter county is fred

chappell. and he said oh yes, he is one of my good friends. [laughter] that was the last thing i wanted to hear. [laughter] and yet time and time again, i saw in him the ability to achieve greatness by the diversity of his personality and upbringing. dr. king used to say that greatness is characterized by antitheses strongly marked. you have to have a tough mind and a tender heart. and that was jimmy carter. and he grew up in the tremendous diversity of the south, and he embraced both sides.

he was a minority in sumter county, just about 25% of the population was white. but growing up as a minority, he became the friend of the majority. and when he went to the naval academy, he asked his roommate, the first black shipment to come to annapolis. he said, i know minorities, i have been minority my whole life and i can help him with life adjustments. he went out of his way to embrace those of us who had

grown up in all kinds of conflict. that was the sensitivity, the spirituality that made james earl carter a truly great president. james earl carter was truly a child of god. not only a good farmer, but a nuclear physicist chosen by an admiral to assist him in developing a nuclear navy. but at the same time he was working on a nuclear navy, he was thinking of peace on earth and goodwill toward all men, and especially women and children.

i have known president carter for more than half of my life. and i am never ceased to be surprised. i never cease to be in lighted. -- enlightens. i never ceased to be inspired by the little deeds of love and mercy that he shared with us every day of his life. it was president james earl carter that, for me, symbolized to the greatness of the united states of america, and i am truly grateful for him. because in spite of the harshness of the depression and the explosions of inflation, he never wavered from his commitment to god almighty and

his love of all of god's children. jimmy carter was a blessing that helped to create a great united states of america. and for all of us, and many who are not able to be here, i want to say thank you. you have been a blessing from god. and your spirit will remain with us. as jason said, he may be gone, but he ain't gone far. thank you, president carter. and thank you, almighty god.

♪

>> ♪ imagine there's no heaven it's easy if you try no hell below us above us, only sky imagine all the people livin' for today ah imagine there's no countries it isn't hard to do nothing to kill or die for and no religion, too

imagine all the people livin' life in peace you you may say i'm a dreamer but i'm not the only one i hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one imagine no possessions i wonder if you can no need for greed or hunger a brotherhood of man

imagine all the people sharing all the world you you may say i'm a dreamer but i'm not the only one i hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one ♪ ♪

>> our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses. as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. amen.

>> for our brother james, let us pray to our lord jesus christ , who said, i am the resurrection, and i am life. lord, you consoled martha and mary and their distress. draw near to us who mourn for james and dry the tears of those who weep. you weep at the grave of lazarus, your friend. comfort us in our sorrow. >> here us, lord. >> you raise the dead to life.

give to our brother eternal life. >> hear us, lord. >> you promised paradise to the thief who repents. bring our brother to joys of heaven. our brother was washed in baptism and anointed with the holy spirit. give us baptism with all your saints. lord, comfort us in our sorrows at the death of our brother. let our faith be our constellation in eternal life, our hope. >> hear us, o lord. >> father of all, we pray to you for james and for all those whom we love but see no longer. grant to them eternal rest.

let light perpetual shine upon them. may his soul and the souls of all the departed through the mercy of god rest in peace. >> amen.

>> give rest, o christ, to your servants with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither scion but life everlasting. >> you only are immortal, the creator and maker of humankind. and we are mortal, belong to the

earth, and to earth shall we return. for so did you ordain when you created me, saying, you are dust, and to dust you shall return. all of us go down to the dust, yet even at the grave, we make our song alleluia, alleluia, , alleluia. >> give rest, o christ to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more. never siding -- sighing, but life everlasting. >> in your hands o merciful savior we commend your servant, james. acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming.

receive him into the arms of your mercy, and into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and s company of the saints in light. >> amen. >> lord, bless you and keep you. lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious upon you. the lord lift his continents upon you -- countenance upon you and give you peace. >> amen. >> let us go forth in the name of christ. >> thanks be to god. ♪

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