Epiphany Questions

Am back from church this morning. Have been leading an Adult Forum series highlighting the five modalities of responses Christians have made to society over course of history as described by H. Richard Niebuhr's book, "Christ and Culture". Personally, it has been a real rush....haven't had a chance to do this for a long while. Participants have been not only attentive, but also involved in the discussion and with questions. But this raises for me not an "epiphany moment", but an "epiphany question." Do we always have to have something "new" to capture people's attention or are there "old" resources overlooked, rejected or ignored which have the potential of providing "epiphany moments" for people today in helping them understand their faith and how their faith equips them for living in the world today? After all, H. Richard's stuff has been around for awhile, but you would have thought I had exposed people to the latest religious guru of the day and that this book should have been a hot seller at Borders. Why do worship services have to be promoted as "contemporary"? Isn't all worship "contemporary" in dealing with the present moment and questions and concerns people bring with them on any given Sunday morning? I continue to chuckle when references are made to "new hymns" being used in Lutheran worship services which are, in reality, "golden oldies" the Methodists or Baptists have been singing for years. Maybe my "epiphany moments" depend upon the "epiphany questions" I am willing to ask myself. Or maybe this all is senseless jargon that is of interest and concern only to me. But that's why I am blogging, right? To sort our and single out issues of faith and living which are "current" and "contemporary" to me and my journey.