Constitution Day is coming up  -  Friday, September 17.

The following story isn't actually about our U.S. Constitution, but it does have to do with government.

Martin Luther was an advocate of government, even bad government or government with which we disagree.  As Luther saw it, government is instituted by God for our good and, as best it can, to protect us from harming one another.  As such, he felt we ought to respect and obey our rulers and authorities.  I recently ran across the following Luther parable:

A widow stood and prayed for her tyrant most devoutly, that God might let him live long, etc. The tyrant heard this and was astonished because he well knew that he had done her much harm, and a prayer such as this was unusual; for prayers for tyrants are not commonly of that sort.

The tyrant asked her why she prayed this way.

She answered: When your grandfather was living, I had ten cows. He took two of them. Then I prayed against him that he might die and your father might become lord. When that happened, your father took three cows from me. Again I prayed that you might become lord and he might die. Now you have taken four cows from me, and so I am praying for you; for I am afraid that your successor will take the last cow from me and everything that I have...