Parishioners observe a vigil in the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea in the manner of Jesus' disciples the night before his passion following the Maundy Thursday mass at the National Cathedral on April 5, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Derived from the Latin word for 'command,' the Maundy Thursday mass celebrates the Last Supper of Jesus and recalls the new commandment to love as symbolized by the service of washing feet. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is beginning the first full workday of his second term with prayer and song at the Washington National Cathedral.
The president and Vice President Joe Biden are taking part in the traditional post-inaugural national prayer service, a tradition that dates back to George Washington.
Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., will give Tuesday's sermon. Children from the Washington Performing Arts Society's Children of the Gospel Choir will sing.
The interfaith service will include prayers and readings from leaders of Christian denominations as well as Islam, Judaism, and the Sikh Coalition
The 106-year-old Episcopal church has long hosted presidential inaugural services. It was also the site of funerals for former presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his last sermon there in 1968.
Earlier this month, the cathedral said it would begin hosting same-sex weddings.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)