Pastor and author Adam Hamilton delivered the sermon at the 57th Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service at the National Cathedral. The service was attended by President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden. All told, 2,200 people were in attendance, including members of the president’s cabinet and other senior administration officials.

Hamilton is senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, and the author 13 of books, with combined sales of almost a million copies. Among them are Seeing Gray in a Black and White World: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics (2012) and The Way: 40 Days of Reflection: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus (Jan.), both published by Abingdon Press. Hamilton’s church has 16,000 members, making it the largest in his denomination.

The interfaith service included representatives from several Christian denominations as well as Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism, reflecting what Gary Hall, Dean of the National Cathedral, cited on its Web site as “the distinct role that people of faith have to play in our national discourse and policy decisions.”

Hamilton concluded by directly addressing President Obama: “There’s a lot of darkness in the world. Lead us to be a compassionate people, to be concerned for the marginalized.”