Nearly a dozen federal departments posted messages on Easter Sunday explicitly acknowledging the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage, and truth — Happy Easter,” tweeted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. While positions of power are too often filled with ambitious men and women seeking to advance their own glory, it’s refreshing to see so many influential leaders taking time to acknowledge the ultimate “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16).

A chorus of “He is Risen” sounded forth on social media from the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs.

These cabinet departments were not shy to quote Scripture or to invoke the name of Jesus Christ. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” DHS cited Luke 24:6, “He is not here; he has risen.”

The Education Department invoked “the hope and renewal found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” And the Justice Department — newly without a secretary — connected the holiday to their very mission, “as millions of Christians gather in their churches across the nation to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, this Department of Justice is proud to protect and defend religious liberty.”

The fullest celebration of Christ’s resurrection came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who posted a two-minute video with a voiceover in which he declared:

“We were all created, every single one of us, before the beginning of time, by the hands of the God of the universe, an all-powerful God, who loved us and created us with the purpose of living with him in eternity. But then sin entered the world and separated us from our Creator. And so, God took on the form of a man and came down and lived among us. And he suffered like men, and he died like a man. But on the third day, he rose unlike any mortal man. And to prove any doubters wrong, he ate with his disciples so they could see, and they touched his wounds. He didn’t rise as a ghost or as a spirit, but as flesh. Then he rose to heaven, but he promised he would return. And he will. And, when he returns — because he took on that death, because he carried that cross, we were freed from the sin that separated us from him. And when he returns, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will all be together, and we are going to have a great reunion there again.”

Such a full proclamation does Rubio credit. An official cannot slap together such a detailed statement on Christianity without a thorough working knowledge — even personal knowledge — of its truths. Despite some theological asterisks (Rubio does not mention how sin entered the world or how Christ’s cross freed us from it), this is a decent statement, especially for a layman with no formal theological training.

This federal recognition of Easter was more a sign of respect for the faith still practiced by a majority of Americans than a sign of Christian nationalism seeping through the executive branch. Recognitions of Easter Sunday even issued from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the Labor Department, headed by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer; neither secretary could be mistaken for being part of the “religious right.”

The White House itself issued a statement “rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose triumph over sin and victory over death secured the promise of redemption and the hope of eternal life for all who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.” The presidential message reflected on how “the life of Jesus Christ and the truths of the Gospel have inspired our way of life and our national identity for 250 years. From the Christian patriots who won and secured our liberty on the battlefield and every generation since, the love of Christ has unfailingly guided our Nation through calm waters and dark storms.”

President Trump even issued a short video address that quoted John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, for whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Trump concluded, “to be a great nation, you must have religion, and you must have God.”

Unfortunately, President Trump interrupted this pro-Christian messaging with a dissonant post to Truth Social on Easter morning, regarding the war in Iran. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” the President casually announced his bombing targets. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F**** Strait, you crazy b*******, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

The post soured the good news of the administration’s Easter acknowledgements. In one post, Trump both dropped foul language and name-checked Allah — even if this was done in a mocking way. In any event, the language did not sit right with Christians.

“I am praying for the president; he needs our prayers,” responded FRC President Tony Perkins. “While his Sunday Truth Social post on Iran may be designed to transmit bravado toward the Iranian regime to bring the conflict to an end, the continuing decline in language and decorum of our leaders is very troubling and should not be acceptable.”

The good news, no matter what language is chosen by the U.S. president, Christians celebrate the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ really did get up from the dead, that he really does reign in holiness, and that when he returns his words will “strike down the nations” who oppose him (Revelation 19:15). He is risen!