Today is the birthday of Cesar Chavez. It seems like a very good idea to reflect on
the life of this very devout Christian in a devotional where we reflect on the issue of
being “evangels,” sharers of God’s transforming love. Instead of giving the entire history of Cesar Chavez, I want to highlight some of his virtuous actions and attributes. Born in the impoverished culture of farm manual labor, The Chavez family devoted much of their time into their work. However, the Chavez elders always instilled within Cesar and his siblings the importance of education, hard work, and service to others. Growing up Cesar Chavez faced many obstacles such as the language barriers and the inability to rise in military ranks because of the color of his skin. But these hardships did not stop him from fighting the injustices of manual labor. Chavez hosted hunger strikes and protests in efforts to fight the racism. The eventual consequences of his actions were adjusted wages, better working conditions, and provision of water and restrooms.
Although Chavez is no longer with us, his
spirit and conviction lives on within our congregations and activist leaders of today. Cesar Chavez once said, “Being of service is not enough. You must become a servant of the people. When you do, you can demand their commitment in return.” What would happen if each of us in our churches became a servant of the people in our communities? We could create a movement like Cesar Chavez, and we would truly be evangels of God’s transforming love!
I pray that we will be inspired by Cesar Chavez’s legacy and faith, and that we can live some of his faith-filled values in our own communities.
Prayer:
Make me a servant, humble and meek;
God, let me lift up those who are weak.
And may the song of my heart always be:
Make me a servant;
Make me a servant;
Make me a servant today
Amen.
Taulau Tupua is a student at Chapman University and a member at Via
Dolorosa Congregational Church (Disciples of Christ) in Modesto. He
was the winner of the 2012 Martin Luther King scholarship for the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California-Nevada.