Riverbend Church

For me, the experience of Riverbend Church begins about 3-5 miles before arriving. As you pass through the beautiful rolling hills of west Austin and cross the bridge over Lake Austin, you immediately feel drawn to the sheer wonder of the land. That is followed by driving up to a church that is near breathtaking in size. Just to the right of the entrance, you see an entrance to Remembrance Gardens, described by the website as a sacred place, interweaving nature, memory, and spirituality. I have taken some time to walk through them and they are really a great place to get away and spend some time in your own thoughts. The church, as you can see from the picture, is quite impressive. The sanctuary is called the Home for Hope, a fitting name for a place in which the stated mission is to serve the bruised, battered, broken and bored (note: they have recently added the "blessed" to that list). Once you enter the Home for Hope, the inside view is equally breathtaking. Riverbend Church is another of the mega-churches in Austin, with a membership of over 4000. However, even in the midst of this large sanctuary, the place has a warm and homelike feel to it. It's difficult to describe, except you almost feel like you are in a big, warm lodge up in the mountains.

The service opened with praise-type singing, followed by prayer and a welcome by Dr. David Haney, the pastor (although I get the impression he is just "Dave" to the congregation). The music is performed by an ensemble, consisting of various instruments. This week, they had a baby dedication service. Interestingly, Shoreline Christian Center had a baby dedication the week I attended there and St. Martin's Lutheran Church had a baby baptism the week I attended there. Obviously, the theme of family is very important in the Austin Christian community. Following the baby dedications, the church was treated to by a visiting vocalist, Donna Hightower, who sang a song called He is Worthy, backed up by the choir and ensemble. She has a great voice and her singing really was moving. There were two congregational songs, which were traditional hymns rearranged to give a more modern feel. Ms. Hightower also sang a song called Ordinary People during the collection of the offering.

Dr. Haney delivered a message that is part of a series on "religion-free spirituality." This week he talked about loving those that are unloveable. Using Jesus' famous sermon about loving your enemies, doing good to those who persecute you and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, he encouraged the people to be kind and generous to those who are not always kind and can't always pay us back. He talked about how hard this teaching is and that one of the purposes of the church is to carry out this teaching together (it's difficult to do alone, but as a group, we can encourage one another and strengthen one another to carry out this mission).

He also talked about how the concept of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you is, by no means, unique to Christianity. He gave quotes from Plato, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Judaism that were nearly identical, pointing out this concept is so important it is found in nearly every religion and philosophy in human history.

The most profound thing for me was when he talked about how when someone comes to Riverbend and feels unloved, it's not what he says while preaching that will make a difference. It's how the person is treated by the people. "By you," he said. It was a call to the people to express this love of others. He asked everyone to think about those people they find hardest to love and to pray for them and do good to them. Then, he closed in prayer.

A side note: Dr. Haney is a fantastic preacher. He is both so down to earth while at the time so clearly educated and well-studied. He is a delight to listen to.

I was struggling with what feeling to describe as I was driving back through the canyons into Austin and I kept wanting to say "calm." I felt calm after being there. Then, it hit me. Peace. I felt such a sense of peace. I have stated before that this is not my first time to attend Riverbend, but I wanted to return, with a fresh perspective on what it means to me when I go there. The entire service is very professional and well-done. It's obvious much time and effort is put into it. However, it is a church that isn't flashy, isn't showy, and doesn't focus on itself. It truly calls on you to focus on your relationship to God and to those around you. Finally, as I have said, attending Riverbend brings a sense of peace in a busy and often hectic world. Whether it is through the music and worship service or while walking in the Remembrance Gardens, your soul is nourished with quiet and purposeful time with God and His people. A time to reflect on how you have been blessed and a time to reflect on what you can do to then be a blessing to others.