Bill Clinton pays tribute to John Lewis at funeral

John Lewis was mourned, revered and celebrated as an American hero on Thursday at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, a sacred place for many of those who helped to shape civil rights history.

Three former presidents joined in the eulogies after nearly a week of mourning that took him from his birthplace in Alabama to the nation's capital of Washington to his final resting place in his home of Atlanta.

Former President Bill Clinton said Lewis, "developed an absolutely uncanny ability to heal troubled waters."

Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80.

The arc of Lewis' legacy of activism was once again tied to Ebenezer's former pastor Martin Luther King Jr., whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama.

King continued to inspire Lewis' civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during sometimes bloody marches, Greyhound bus "Freedom Rides" across the South and later during his long tenure in the U.S. Congress.

"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America," Lewis said of his run-ins with the law.

The phrase was repeated several times during the funeral.

But no matter what, John always kept walking to reach the beloved community. He got into a lot of good trouble along the way, but let's not forget, he developed an absolutely uncanny ability to heal troubled waters," said former president Bill Clinton.

Outside Ebenezer, hundreds gathered to watch the service on a large screen outside the church. Some sang the gospel song "We Shall Overcome."

Shortly before he died, Lewis wrote an essay for The New York Times and asked that it be published on the day of his funeral.

In the piece published Thursday, Lewis recalled the teachings of King:

"He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice," Lewis wrote.

"He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out."

"He fought the good fight, he kept the faith. But we got our last letter today on the pages of The New York Times. Keep moving. It is so fitting on the day of his service. He leaves us our marching orders, keep moving," Clinton said.