c. 2004 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Thousands of invited guests filled Washington National Cathedral to bid farewell to former President Ronald Reagan Friday (June 11) in a state funeral steeped in religious tradition and political tributes.

Military musicians joined world leaders in the ceremony officiated by the Rev. John C. Danforth, former Missouri Republican senator and Episcopal priest, and featuring eulogies from the two Republican presidents _ George Bush and his father, George Herbert Walker Bush _ who followed the 40th commander in chief in the White House.

“Accept our prayers on behalf of thy servant Ronald, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints,” proclaimed Danforth as the 1 1/2-hour service began.

Reagan’s flag-draped casket was welcomed and dismissed from the gothic cathedral by the U.S. Coast Guard band. It played “Hail to the Chief” as his body arrived and “God Bless America” as it was returned to a hearse for the start of a trip to a sunset burial on the grounds of his presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.

Reagan died Saturday at his Los Angeles home at the age of 93.

One after the other, those who spoke to honor Reagan recalled his optimism and his belief that America is a “city on a hill,” a reference originally from the Gospel of Matthew.

President Bush attributed Reagan’s courage _ facing an assassination attempt and the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease _ to his faith.

“It is the faith of a boy who read the Bible with his mom,” Bush said. “It is the faith of a man lying in an operating room who prayed for the one who shot him before he prayed for himself. It is the faith of a man with a fearful illness who waited on the Lord to call him home.”

The solemn atmosphere, with a crowd in dark suits and military dress, occasionally was broken with laughter when the current president’s father recalled the humor of the president who served from 1981 to 1989.

“When asked, `How did your visit go with Bishop Tutu?’ he replied `So-so,”’ recalled President George H.W. Bush of a conversation about now-retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Cape Town, South Africa.

But the elder President Bush also grew the most emotional in speaking of Reagan, saying he learned kindness and courage from him.

“The `Good Book’ says humility goes before honor and our friend had both,” he said.

The carefully scripted service included music that reflected Reagan’s roots and patriotism.

Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sang a soaring rendition of “Amazing Grace” and the Armed Forces Chorus sang a triumphant version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” read from Isaiah about “they that wait upon the Lord” and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor read from the 1630 sermon by Puritan John Winthrop who described the new land as “a city upon a hill.” Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said Reagan “inspired his nation and transformed the world.”

Presidents Ford, Carter and Clinton also were in attendance, sitting beneath the majestic arches and stained glass of the cathedral with Supreme Court justices, members of Congress and past and present foreign dignitaries.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attended the ceremony but gave her remarks in a videotaped message combined with famous footage of Reagan’s years as president.

She spoke of her “dear friend” who “freed the slaves of communism.” Thatcher also recalled how Reagan told a priest after surviving a 1981 assassination attempt that the rest of his life belonged to the “big fellow upstairs.”

“He was able to say, `God Bless America’ with equal fervor in public and in private,” she said. “The world mourns the passing of the great liberator and echoes his prayer, `God Bless America.”’

Danforth’s sermon connected the dual purposes of the service to honor Reagan’s life and profess the Christian faith of believers.

“In this service of worship, we celebrate the life of a great president and we profess the resurrection faith of this church,” he preached. “It is faith in God’s victory over darkness. It is faith in the ultimate triumph of light. … There is no better time to celebrate the triumph of light than in a service for Ronald Reagan.”

Beyond the cathedral, there were other religious observances on Friday where local congregations marked Reagan’s death. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, led a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew before reading a Gospel of Matthew passage at the Washington National Cathedral.

Church bells across the country tolled in Reagan’s honor shortly after the conclusion of the service.

“The Reagan family has learned of this and is very touched by this gesture,” Reagan’s office said in a Thursday statement.

Reagan, a Presbyterian who was raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), was remembered throughout the week by religious leaders of a variety of backgrounds. Catholic and Orthodox bishops offered prayers for his family and conservative Protestants praised his agreement with them on social and political issues.

Plans for the private interment service Friday evening in California included remarks by his three children, a bagpiper’s playing of “Amazing Grace,” and Danforth’s reading of the 23rd Psalm.

DEA/JL END BANKS