Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, a senior pastor of the 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan, has gone viral following his passionate three-minute benediction during President Trump’s inauguration.
In his three minute prayer, Sewell offered a patriotic and pro-Trump prayer, expressing gratitude to God for saving the 78-year-old from an assassination attempt last year.
He also invoked elements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech during his remarks, which coincided with the national holiday honoring the civil rights leader, according to Daily Mail.
Sewell started: “Heavenly father we are so grateful that you gave our 45th and now our 47th president a millimeter miracle.
“We are grateful that you are the one that have called him for such a time as this. That America would begin to dream again.”
Sewell prayed that America continues to be a nation “where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.”
During his prayer, he spoke passionately, raising his hands to the sky and echoing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call for “freedom to ring” across America, directly referencing the civil rights leader’s iconic words.
Sewell said: “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died. Land of the pilgrims’ pride.
“From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And because America is called to be a great nation, we believe that you will make this come true.
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“From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring.
“From the snowcap Rockies of Colorado, let freedom ring. From the curvaceous hilltops of California, but God, we’re asking you not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.
“Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill in Mississippi, from every state, every city, every village and every hamlet.
“And when we let freedom ring, we will be able to speed up that day where all of your children, Black men and white men, Protestant and Catholic, Jew and gentile will be able to sing in the meaning of that old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, free at last.'”
“Thank you God almighty, we are free at last. If you believe with the Spirit of the Lord, there is liberty. Come on, put your hands together and give your great God great glory.”
Pastor Sewell’s animated prayer quickly went viral on social media, earning widespread praise from users.
One person posted: “President Trump invited Pastor Lorenzo Sewell from Detroit to pray at the Inauguration, and he did NOT disappoint. God is back in America.”
Another said: “This Pastor made my day I’m not of this religious denomination Who cares It was a tour de force On a Sunday Inauguration Day MLK Remembrance Day.”
Someone else added: “Great to see faith being represented at the Inauguration Trump bringing back traditional values to the White House is a breath of fresh air America is reclaiming its spiritual roots, thanks to leaders like Trump and Pastor Sewell.”
One other commented: “He was great!! A young pastor like that can have a powerful impact.”
Pastor Sewell first met Trump during a campaign stop at his church in June. According to MLive, Sewell, a lifelong Republican, supported Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Before becoming a pastor in 1999, he had a troubled past as a drug dealer but turned his life around through faith.
