(Photos by ALYSSA POINTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images). He was 80. Please enable JavaScript for a better experience. Rep. John Lewis' funeral has ended. His parents are still interred there. He said: "We live in a better and nobler a country today because of John Lewis and his abiding faith in the power of God, in the power of democracy, and in the power of love to lift us all to a higher ground". He always believed in preaching the gospel, in word and in deed, insisting that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope,” Bush said. Former President Barack Obama delivered a pointed eulogy earlier today at the late congressman's funeral ceremony that honored the civil rights titan and emphasized the importance of voting. The honor guard then folded the American flag that had been draped over the congressman’s casket and presented it to his son, John-Miles Lewis. George W. Bush: 'We live in a better and nobler country today because of John Lewis' Bush is among three former presidents delivering tributes to Lewis at … The Associated Press contributed. Lawmakers from both parties said almost immediately there was no likelihood the election would be delayed. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock delivered remarks and prayed for Lewis. “I’ve come here today because I like so many Americans owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom,” Obama said. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also spoke at the service, and a letter from former President Jimmy Carter, who did not attend, was read. Obama also joined in the eulogies, who awarded Lewis the Medal of Freedom of 2011. “We're here today because he had the kind of character that showed when he lost an election,” Clinton said, prompting more applause. What gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further than any might have thought possible.". Read the transcript here. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out.”, “Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe," Lewis added. Explicit in those words is the idea that we're imperfect. “In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. "Until his final day on this Earth, he not only embraced that responsibility but he made it his life's work," Obama added. Rep. John Lewis often repeated the phrase "Good Trouble" to counsel people on the need for "good trouble, necessary trouble.". Former President Barack Obama took the opportunity during his eulogy for Rep. John Lewis to raise awareness about ongoing efforts to stifle voting in the US on the eve of a presidential election. As family, colleagues and friends looked on, Rev. Obama said he owes "a great debt" to Lewis and his "forceful vision of freedom.". Speaking about Rep. John Lewis' perseverance in fighting for civil rights and freedom, former President Barack Obama called on the country to be "vigilant against the darker currents" of US history. “In the America that John and I believe in, differences of opinion are inevitable, and evidence of democracy in action,” Bush said, prompting a strong applause from the audience. One person heartened by the sight of thousands of Americans taking to the streets to demand justice following the death of George Floyd was Rep. John Lewis. The congressman was carried out of Ebenezer Baptist Church by an honor guard to a hearse that will take him to his final resting place at South-View Cemetery, just south of downtown Atlanta. Lewis, who served in Congress for more than three decades and was considered a civil rights icon, died nearly two weeks ago at the age of 80. Former President Barack Obama called Congressman John Lewis “an American whose faith was tested again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance.”, “Now this country is a constant work in progress," Obama continued. Bush said he had been “privileged to see that spark up close” after working with Lewis to bring the National Museum of African American History and Culture to Washington, D.C. Bush signed a bill to establish the museum in 2003. He said Lewis was here on a mission “bigger than personal ambition.”. That phrase is now the title of a new song. Funeral director Darrell Watkins said some words and mourners each placed a long stemmed white rose on the casket. Lewis spent more than three decades in Congress, and his district included most of Atlanta. Obama said the late congressman "devoted his time on this Earth fighting the very attacks on democracy and what's best in America that we're seeing circulate right now.”, "We should keep marching. Former President Barack Obama spoke with Lewis following Floyd's death on May 25 and said "he could not have been prouder to see this new generation of activists standing up for freedom and equality," the 44th president said in Atlanta today during Lewis' funeral. Trump has no authority to delay an election, and the Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date for voting. In 1965, Lewis was beaten by Alabama state troopers in the city of Selma in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”, Clinton poignantly shared how Lewis carried the autobiography of Catholic monk Thomas Merton in his backpack as he marched to Selma. “John Lewis always looked outward, not inward. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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