Little fire this time for Wright

. -- Standing in a pulpit that inspired him in his youth, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. reminded a Baptist congregation that trouble is unavoidable but does not last forever and is not suffered alone.

“I don’t care what the prosperity preachers say . . . there is no such thing as a trouble-free life,” Wright said in a sermon at Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church in Norfolk.

Cautioning those in the audience who might repeat his words later, he added: “Don’t quote Jeremiah Wright, quote Jesus.”

Sound bites of previous sermons by the retiring senior pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ -- including scathing critiques of America’s foreign and domestic policies -- roiled the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Obama, who has attended Wright’s South Side church for more than 20 years, credits the pastor for bringing him to Christianity.

Outrage about Wright’s remarks prompted the presidential candidate to deliver a speech on race in America in which he disagreed with Wright’s statements but did not denounce him.

Criticism of Wright and his church also spurred religious leaders to call for a conversation about race in houses of worship nationwide.

But since the controversy erupted last month, Wright has remained largely silent, canceling appearances at a revival in Florida and a church in Houston.

In a statement issued Sunday, Wright explained that he spoke at Norfolk’s Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church to mark the 50th anniversary of Bank Street’s Booster Club, an organization founded by his late uncle and former pastor, the Rev. John Bennett Henderson.

“It is a church that will always have a deep and central part in my life, just as it had a position of prominence in my formative years,” said Wright, who attended the church during many summers in his youth.

“It’s a blessing to honor the legacy and service of my family members, mentor and friends who served at the Bank Street Baptist Church and to celebrate their many services in tribute to this church’s great tradition.”

The church was also attended by Wright’s late mentor, the Rev. Samuel DeWitt Proctor, who was president of Virginia Union University in Richmond and of North Carolina A&T; State University.

Wright’s sermon, based on the biblical parable about Jesus calming a storm, mixed nostalgic hymns and love songs with advice about marriage and parenting.

The closest he came to political commentary or addressing the recent controversy was to say that Americans have difficulty helping their neighbors, from “George W. to Uncle Bubba.”

He also compared punditry to the storm that Jesus quelled.

“That’s all gossip is: a windstorm -- hot air -- but it causes damage,” he said.

At the end of the service, dozens of local ministers laid hands on Wright and his daughter Jeri and prayed for his family “who have had to listen while the world tries to demonize him.”

More than half of the 1,000 attending the worship service on Sunday rose from the pews when guests were invited to stand.

Many commended Wright’s down-to-earth and dynamic preaching style.

Teresa Tucker, 43, drove four hours from Roxboro, N.C., to hear Wright, with whom she has shared an e-mail exchange for the past two years. “He speaks the truth in love,” she said.

Rose M. Ward of Norfolk also came to hear what Wright had to say and left impressed.

“He circumvented a lot of things, but he was right on target,” she said.

“He’s spiritual, witty and knows the battle.”