Thursday's service will cap off six days of remembrance for Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. After the funeral, Carter will return to Georgia to be buried in his hometown of Plains, next to his beloved wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.

Three days after the Jan. 6 anniversary, with its indelible images of costumed rioters running amok in the Capitol, former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral service in the National Cathedral presented a historical picture of a different kind, one that spoke not of upended norms, but of preservation and strength.