First family attends Easter church service

President Obama and his family attended Easter services Sunday morning at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

Obama, the first lady and their two daughters walked the short distance from the White House to the church, according to a pool report.

{mosads}The family was “honored” to celebrate Easter with the congregation, led by pastor Rev. Luis Leon, a White House official said in a statement.

The president has regularly attended Easter services, visiting St. John’s last year and Washington’s Shiloh Baptist Church in 2011.

On Saturday, Obama also marked the holiday in his weekly address, breaking from politics to herald the “hopeful promise” of Easter.

“As Christians, my family and I remember the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for each and every one of us – how He took on the sins of the world and extended the gift of salvation,” the president said. “And we recommit ourselves to following His example here on Earth.

Obama said the holiday shared values common to all faiths and praised the common bonds tying all Americans.

“As Americans, we’re united by something else, too: faith in the ideals that lie at the heart of our founding; and the belief that, as part of something bigger than ourselves, we have a shared responsibility to look out for our fellow citizens,” said Obama.

The president enjoyed his Saturday with a round of golf, and by watching the Syracuse-Marquette NCAA tournament basketball game at the Verizon Center.