WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday participated in a traditional, post-inaugural national prayer service and listened intently to a message attributed to Cherokee wisdom.
The Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, cautioned Obama that he was beginning his presidency at a trying time that "will tend to draw you away from your ethical center."
"But we, the nation that you serve, need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values," she said.
Watkins then told a story she attributed to Cherokee wisdom about a man trying to teach his grandson about the internal battle people face, one between a vengeful, angry wolf and a compassionate, faithful one. When the grandson asks which wolf wins, his grandfather replies: "The one you feed."
"Feed the good wolf within"
Watkins implored him to "feed the good wolf within" and not be tempted away from his ethical center.
The service was Obama's first public appearance on his first full day in office. The service is a tradition that dates to George Washington. Obama and his wife, Michelle, attended the multiracial, multireligious worship at the Washington National Cathedral.
The new president and first lady sat in the front pew of the church, alongside Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who won Senate confirmation later Wednesday to become Obama's secretary of state, also sat in the first row.
The service included scripture readings by religious leaders of different faiths and the singing of hymns. Obama smiled, bobbed his head and sang along for a bit as the Washington Performing Arts Society's children's gospel choir sang a lively rendition of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."
Obama did not speak during the hourlong service.