Senator Ted Kennedy (1932-2009)

Senator Ted Kennedy (1932-2009)

The news is full of remembrances of Senator Edward Kennedy, who died yesterday of a brain tumor.  As I listened to dozens of politicians, friends, media members and others share their recollections of “The Lion of the Senate”, one in particular stood out.  It was from Cal Thomas, the syndicated columnist.

Thomas, who was a polar opposite from Kennedy on most political issues, had fascinating things to say and write about his decades-old relationship with the senator.  On his website, he writes: “Over the years, I came to see Sen. Kennedy not as a symbol, but as a fellow human being who did not get up each morning seeking ways to harm the country. I know of things he did for the poor and homeless on his own time and in his own way without a press release or a desire for public approval. I know of other hurts and concerns he shared with the very few he could trust about which I would never speak.”  (Read the full article here)

Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

On a sidebar of the same homepage, Thomas added, “I wonder how many Christian conservatives took the time to pray for Ted Kennedy.” This isn’t just a casual thought by Thomas.  I had the chance earlier this year to have breakfast with Cal at an Arlington, Virginia diner.  Over omelets, he told of his testimony of faith in Christ and the opportunities he has had through the years to share it with many in the political and media spheres.  Some of the people he mentioned are hated by political conservatives (some of whom are Christians).  So when Cal Thomas says he wonders who prayed for Senator Kennedy, he means it and he’s not being hypocritical.

Let Kennedy’s passing remind us all to pray “for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:2-4).  Let us also pray that other leaders will consider their own mortality, realizing that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).