Tomorrow we honor the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, with a national day of mourning. President Carter’s remains have been lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda since last evening and official commemoration will conclude with a state funeral at the National Cathedral tomorrow morning (the event will be livestreamed).

Many tributes to President Carter have appeared in the days since he passed on December 29, at the age of 100. A theme common among them is that he was a profoundly decent man. Below is an excerpt from the joint statement that the Dean of Washington National Cathedral and the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington issued on December 29:

“President Carter exemplified a life of public service rooted in personal faith. Whether teaching Sunday School, or building houses for the poor, or working through the Carter Center to eradicate diseases in Africa, President Carter exemplified what it means to translate faith into action.”

“President Carter’s faith was quiet and humble, fueled by a much-needed sense of generosity. His devotion to God was evidenced by his pursuit of peace and his promotion of human rights, especially for the world’s poor. Indeed, on the global road to Jericho, he was often the Samaritan who stopped to help as others passed by.”

“Undeterred by age, infirmity or political defeat, President Carter rose again and again to offer an outstretched hand. He embodied St. Paul’s admonition to be “afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)”

“We will leave it to others to judge his political legacy, but his graciousness in victory and defeat, his personal decency, and his dogged commitment to public service demonstrated that one need not hold public office to leave an enduring imprint on the fabric of America. Of all the second acts in our political life, President Carter’s post-White House years were among the most inspiring.”

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One can read about Jimmy Carter’s record of service before, during, and after his presidency in the official biography that the Carter Center published. Prominent among positive assessments of his presidency to be found in that document and elsewhere is the successful personal efforts he made to secure a lasting peace between Israel and Egypt. Among the highlights of his post-presidency are his successful efforts through the Carter Center to promote democracy, human rights, and health around the world. He and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter were also stalwart supporters of and participants in the work of Habitat Humanity. Even into his nineties and when he was ill with cancer, the Carters took up hammers, saws, and drills to personally build homes for the needy.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Carter its Peace Prize for 2002.

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2002 to Jimmy Carter, for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

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The presentation speech bears reading and viewing (here, at the 2:15 mark), as do Carter’s Nobel Lecture (text and video at the 7:33 mark).

Tomorrow, the day he is laid to eternal rest, we will see the culmination of ceremonial tributes to Jimmy Carter. We honor him best, though, by ever striving to follow his example, supporting others who do so, and standing resolute in persistent challenge to those who seek to undermine that for which he stood and so nobly worked.