For years, Christians have lamented the “war on Christmas,” but now that government leaders have created space for the public worship of Christ and called for rest to honor a Christian holy day, will the Church rise to meet the moment?
For too long, American Christians have watched Christmas reduced to “holiday parties” and “winter celebrations,” sanitized of its substance and stripped of its Savior. We’ve endured decades of cultural elites insisting that Christ must be confined to private spaces, that His name shouldn’t be spoken in government buildings, and that His lordship stops at the church doors.
But something is shifting. This Christmas week, the federal government didn’t just acknowledge the holiday; it bowed the knee to worship the King of Kings.
On Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, hosted the first-ever Christmas worship service at the Pentagon. Hundreds of military and civilian personnel gathered in the courtyard for an afternoon of praise to Christ. Christian artists Matthew West and Anne Wilson led worship. Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse preached the Gospel. And the Secretary himself read Scripture and prayed — not in a closet, not in hushed tones, but publicly, boldly, in the very heart of America’s military headquarters.
“I want to thank you all for sharing in this first Christmas Worship Service here at the Pentagon,” Hegseth told the crowd. “The greatest story ever told. And the best part about it is, it’s a true story.”
The refrain wasn’t a generic invocation. This was explicit, unapologetic Christian worship in a government building during working hours. For decades, we’ve heard that such actions were inappropriate, exclusionary, and a breach of the perceived separation between Christ and civil authority.
But here’s the truth Scripture has always declared: There is no square inch of creation over which Christ does not claim lordship. Not your family. Not your workplace. And certainly not your government.
The Theology of Public Worship
The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 1:16-17 that all things were created by Christ and for Christ, “whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.” Every authority structure exists under Christ’s sovereign rule. When government officials publicly acknowledge this reality, they’re not imposing religion on others; they’re simply recognizing what has always been true.
Romans 13 establishes that governing authorities are “servants of God,” not autonomous powers but ministers accountable to the One who establishes them. When Secretary Hegseth invoked George Washington’s practice of bending the knee for Providential guidance, he was recovering a forgotten truth: America’s founders understood that human wisdom alone cannot govern justly. We need divine wisdom. We need to bow before the only truly righteous King.
The Pentagon service wasn’t an aberration. It was a return to sanity.
For decades, a militant secularism has attempted to exile Christian conviction from public life, insisting that faith must remain “private” while the state claims absolute authority over the public square. But this is precisely the idolatry Scripture condemns, the elevation of human institutions above God’s authority.
When Paul writes that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12), he’s identifying the real battlefield. The cultural war over Christmas in public spaces isn’t ultimately about decorations or greetings. It’s about which kingdom will be publicly acknowledged as supreme.
A President Who Celebrates the Savior’s Birth
President Trump reinforced this shift by granting federal workers paid time off on both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, creating an unprecedented five-day weekend for families to celebrate together. He also announced a one-time $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” bonus for over 1.45 million active-duty and reserve military servicemembers, tangibly recognizing their sacrifices.
These aren’t merely administrative decisions. They’re policy statements that human beings are not machines, that rest matters, that family matters, that worship matters. As David Closson of Family Research Council observed,
“Giving federal workers additional time around Christmas highlights something Christians have long affirmed: human beings are not machines. We are made for worship, for family, and for rhythms of rest.”
This reflects biblical anthropology — the recognition that we are image-bearers of God, designed for Sabbath rest and communal worship, not merely productivity units serving an impersonal state.
The Call Before the Church
But here’s what matters most: What will the Church do with this moment?
For years, we’ve complained about Christmas being driven from the public square. We’ve lamented the “war on Christmas.” We’ve mourned the loss of explicitly Christian culture. And now, when government leaders create space for public worship of Christ, when the highest levels of military leadership call for prayer and Providence, when the President himself extends rest to honor a Christian holy day, will the Church rise to meet the moment?
Or will we retreat into our comfortable sanctuaries, content to see a few symbolic gestures while failing to press the implications of Christ’s comprehensive lordship?
Brothers and sisters, the present is not the time for timidity. When government officials acknowledge Christ’s authority, the Church must be ready to disciple them, teach biblical governance, and hold them accountable to the One they serve.
We must pray fervently for these leaders that their public professions would be matched by private holiness, that their policies would increasingly reflect biblical justice, and that their leadership would point a watching world to the perfect leadership of Christ.
We must teach our children that Christianity is not merely a private preference but a comprehensive worldview with implications for every sphere of life. When they see the Secretary of War hosting a Christmas worship service, they should understand this is normal, not novel — that honoring Christ in public is how civilizations flourish.
And we must be prepared for resistance. The spiritual forces that have worked for decades to exile Christ from public life will not surrender easily. When secular organizations protest these worship services, when lawsuits are filed, and when media outlets rage, the Church must stand firm, articulating why public acknowledgment of Christ serves the common good rather than threatening it.
Christmas Anchors Us in Reality
As Closson wisely noted,
“The Christmas season anchors us in a reality far larger than the headlines, namely, that God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ. Alongside the resurrection, the incarnation is the most important event in human history. Because He came, we are never abandoned, and because He reigns, we can face 2026 with unwavering hope.”
The baby born in Bethlehem is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His authority extends over every throne, every government, and every power structure in creation. When government officials publicly worship Him, they’re not establishing a theocracy — they’re simply acknowledging reality.
Christmas is back in the public square because Christ has never left it. He has always been Lord. The question is whether we — His blood-bought people — will live like it, speak like it, and demand that every sphere of society recognize it.
This Christmas, don’t just celebrate privately. Thank God publicly. Proclaim Christ boldly. And pray that this moment of cultural clarity would spread from the Pentagon to every courthouse, every statehouse, and every schoolhouse in America.
The King has come. Let every knee bow. Let every tongue confess — even in Washington D.C.
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