... were great fun and left us all wanting more.

Today we concluded with a real whistlestop tour of Ecclesiasticus aka Sirach aka Wisdom ben Sira, which had a freshness and relevance we found engaging, as well as some pretty strong stuff that challenged us.

Here's just one extract we looked at today, which spoke to me especially in light of my Amazon-free Advent...

Sirach 34:21-27

If one sacrifices ill-gotten goods, the offering is blemished;
   the gifts of the lawless are not acceptable.
The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly,
   nor for a multitude of sacrifices does he forgive sins.
Like one who kills a son before his father’s eyes
   is the person who offers a sacrifice from the property of the poor.
The bread of the needy is the life of the poor;
   whoever deprives them of it is a murderer.
To take away a neighbour’s living is to commit murder;
   to deprive an employee of wages is to shed blood.

Everyone went away to give some thought to what they'd like to look at next, but before that, four weeks of African American Spiritual based reflections for Advent.