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Object Lesson

Object Lesson: The Pomegranate

pomegranate as Christian symbolThe Pomegranate As Christian Symbol

Botticelligranat_bildThis Sunday’s gospel, John 14:15-21, might be a good Sunday to resurrect one of the more obscure symbols of our faith.

John 14 is part of the five-chapter Farewell message of Jesus. Our Lord is desperate in his fervor to lay everything on the table for his disciples—a last attempt to make sure his vagabond followers understand the significance of His mission.

The Crucifixion and Resurrection loom.

The disciples listening to Jesus have yet to experience the Passion. But we are looking backward. We’ve been rereading the Resurrection stories—the women in the garden, Thomas and the disciples, and the travelers on the road to Emmaus.

It’s not such a strange time to revisit the last and longest recorded sermon by the Lord Himself.

The ideas are a little complicated. They bear another look.

The gist of the message is that God did not make us, His children, to live alone and apart from Him and His son. We are all in this together. There’s more to it, more about just how the relationship works. That’s what the passage from Acts points out. (Acts 17:22-31) But central message of the Gospel is pivotal.

On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. —John 14:20

Huh?

Consider the pomegranate.

296272_265877680091951_227409627272090_1137204_793362_nThe pomegranate was/is a favorite fruit of God. It may even have been the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Life. God gave Moses orders to use the pomegranate on the priestly robes to be worn by Aaron.

Pomegranates are in season from March to May in Israel—Eastertime.

As Christianity moved north and west, the imagery was lost. There were no pomegranates growing in our orchards. But they are abundant everywhere now.

Show your congregation some pomegranate imagery. Then hold up a pomegranate.

Slice it open and notice the abundance of seeds.

Jesus is in the Father and we are in Him. The pomegranate is a good reminder. We are not alone. We are in this together.

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22 May 2014

Adult Object Lesson: John 20:19-31

sticky points

Today’s object is something sticky. A jar of glue or honey would work. It might have a prominent label.

Ask members of your congregation what they think you are holding. Go around, offer people a touch of what is sticky and gooey.

Ask them what they need in order to believe that what they are seeing is the real thing. Odds are that no one will want to touch the gooey stuff. But just in case—have some wipes ready. You never know what another person’s sticky point in believing might be!

Today’s Gospel lesson is the story that branded Thomas as “the Doubter” — the disciple who not only had to see Christ to believe in the Resurrection but boasted that he also had to touch his wounds. He had to know that it was really Jesus and not some impostor. The wounds were proof.

Retell the story. Hit the high points.

The disciples were now in the habit of meeting behind locked doors. Their lives were at stake.

Jesus appears. No knock on the door. No secret password for entry. He simply appears.

It is surely one of his first appearances. He will make others, but the two gatherings discussed in today’s Gospel are still “news.”

Thomas wasn’t there for the first gathering, but he heard about it—it was the hottest gossip in town.

Think about gossip for a minute. Some people who hear juicy gossip merge it with their own story, leading the next hearers to believe that the news is firsthand.

Thomas didn’t do this. Thomas wanted proof.

He lays it on the line. To be so memorable it must have been with some degree of machismo.

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

The next time the disciples are together—with Thomas among them—and Jesus appears, all eyes turn to Thomas.

Jesus is there to bring peace and fuel the disciples with the Spirit.

But he is God and all-knowing. He knows the gossip, too. He turns to Thomas and offers his wounds to him.

Here is the interesting thing that almost all artists get wrong. The story of Thomas is depicted inaccurately so often that we tend to overlook an important part of this story. 

763px-Hendrick_ter_Brugghen_-_The_Incredulity_of_Saint_Thomas_-_WGA22166Artist after artist shows Thomas poking a finger or two into Jesus’ still open wounds. It’s almost as if we can’t believe this story if we don’t see Thomas following through on his pledge. (Here is one work by Hendrick ter Brugghen).

But reread the story from the gospel. Thomas doesn’t poke his fingers into Jesus’ wounds. Thomas immediately confesses his creed, “My Lord and my God.” Thomas never follows through on his boastful pledge. Seeing was believing.

If your congregation uses projection, use 2×2’s weekly slide presentation to be published by Thursday as evidence.

You might close by giving poor Thomas his due. Sure, Thomas doubted, but from his doubt grew an incredible faith. Thomas is credited with carrying the message of Christ to India and establishing the first Christian church there. Some Indian families today proudly trace their Christian heritage to his ministry. (And with this you can tie in two verses from today’s psalm — Psalm 16: 5-6. 

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

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2x2virtualchurch adds a slideshow and object lesson to our library each week. There are more  than 100 in our collection. If you like our easy, interactive approach to engaging adult learners, please consider subscribing.

Thank you.

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22 Apr 2014

Adult Object Lesson: The Raising of Lazarus

The Breath of New Life

John 11:1-45  •  Ezekiel 37:1-14  •  Psalm 130  •  Romans 8:6-11

This week’s lessons revolve around the breathing of new life and spirit into the what, in our eyes, is  beyond salvaging.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel stands in a valley filled with bones. Old, dry bones. God breathes life into this army of bones.

He gives a final speech.

I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.

Lazarus

Jesus calls Lazarus—stinking dead Lazarus—out of his tomb.

He then steps back. He turns to the crowd who are probably stunned by the miracle. He pulls them into the miracle. Get involved. “It’s your turn. Unbind him!”

Today’s Object

Today’s object is a trash can with some selected trash in it—trash that might benefit from new life.

Pose some questions to your adult learners.

Why, we have to wonder, are these selected references to dying and resurrection passed on to God’s people generation after generation—death after death? What do these miracles mean to us today?

Ask your adult learners: What did Lazarus do with his new lease on life? How did he approach his eventual death? Did he live every day as if it were the last day of his life? Did he relax with the preview of what death was like? What was discussed at the dinner table in the days after the amazement and joy began to dim —and the story of Christ’s crucifixion became the next hot topic.

Allow your congregation to offer their ideas.

Then turn to your trash can with some discarded items. Ask how they might have new life.

Items might be:

  • clothing that might be handed down or sewn into a quilt or made into rags.
  • an appliance that might be stripped for parts or hardware.
  • junk mail that can be recycled into blank sheets of paper for someone to write or draw on
  • jars that might be used to store hardware or made into a candle or flower vase
  • newspaper that might be made into a toy sailboat or hat

Here’s an example from my experience this week:

user1277090_pic81970_1321998261I watched as a junk recycler worked to remove an old grand piano from a house I was selling. I had offered it for free, but no one wanted it. It was heavy and large—too much trouble. The workers took a sledge hammer to it and carried it out. But then there was this possibility, if I only had the skills and energy—that breath of new life!

Lesson: one way of breathing new life into a congregation is to strengthen members’ skills and energy!

The Church today is often tempted to think of their small communities as “trash”—dead as far as any useful mission is concerned. Dry as the bones in Ezekiel’s valley.

Do we wade through the bones? Do we call upon the Lord to breathe new life into them?

It all depends on what you believe.

Our God sides with life.

What might your congregation do with a breath of new life?

———————

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2x2virtualchurch adds a slideshow and object lesson to our library each week. There are nearly 100 in our collection. If you like our easy, interactive approach to teaching adult learners, please consider subscribing.

You will receive a weekly slideshow (which you can use on your church website or during worship), an object lesson and many other church planning ideas—all geared for small church use.

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02 Apr 2014

Adult Object Lesson: John 1

medium_4197768871Also Psalm 147:1-20; Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 3:1-14

The Crèche Without A Fence

The twelfth day of Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. This Sunday, January 5th, is the second Sunday of the Christmas season. It is also the last Sunday of the Christmas season.

Time to move on?

Today’s object is a crèche scene.

A typical crèche scene includes the Holy Family, a few animals, shepherds and interloping wise men. They arrive a bit later in the Christmas story, but they add color!

The gospel lesson today is John’s account of the Christmas story. John likes to get to the point. Forget the earthly drama. Get to the God part of the story. Shepherds, sheep, donkeys, angels, Mary and Joseph—that’s for other evangelists to tell.

John is in a hurry.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The birth of Jesus with all the details are less important to John. He had personal ties to the Holy Family, but he just refused to get distracted. Jesus was always with God from the beginning.

John makes it clear from the start, that when Jesus came into the world, he came for all people. The rest of the book of John builds on this. It is a favorite book of missionaries. It is also the focus of modern Messianic Jews.

While you talk about the Christmas story as told by John you can be putting away the figures of a crèche scene. As you wrap each figure in tissue and place it in a box, you might address how each one is missing in the John account.

There is one thing missing in both the typical crèche scene AND the book of John.

A fence.

The stable with its typical cast is too confining for John. John has no need to corral the characters of the Christmas Story. In John’s view, focusing on all of this is missing the point.

John’s focus is on relationship.

His life is the light of all people.

Tie in the other lectionary readings.

You might switch the Psalm reading and the Old Testament reading today for the dramatic build. First was God’s relationship with the “chosen” and then his continued relationship through history.

Psalm 147 talks about God’s love for the chosen people.

Jeremiah talks about the return of the scattered people of Israel. God will bless them.

In Ephesians. Paul makes it clear that all people are part of the redemption story. They, too, will be blessed.

John will quickly leave the birth of Christ and introduce us to the cast of characters that proves that Christ came for all people—the wedding guests in Cana, the woman at the well, the priestly Nicodemus, the blind man, and even dead Lazarus and his family. The book of John will cover a lot of bases.

As you put away the manger, mention that crèche scenes never include a fence. Jesus was born into a free-range farmyard.

photo credit: Alkelda via photopin cc

01 Jan 2014

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 17:11-19

thankyouThe Value of Saying Thanks

Today’s Gospel is Luke’s account of Jesus’ Curing of Ten Lepers. All are made clean. Nine go on their way rejoicing. Only one (and a Samaritan at that) returns to thank Jesus for changing his life.

Today’s object is a Thank You card.

You can hold an actual Thank You card in your hand. You might even read the actual words.

Or you could create a giant Thank You card on a flip chart as you talk.

Writing Thank You cards is one of the first skills we teach our children. Often, it is one of the first skills forgotten as we reach an age of independence.

One habit of successful business people is writing Thank You notes. Some even have custom cards printed, sitting on their desks so that “the work” of finding and writing cards doesn’t stand in the way.

Giving thanks restores something inside of us. It unites us to community. You might make the point that only one of the lepers was truly 100% healed!

Examine with your adults (or children) the reasons why they might fail to show appreciation for a gift or action.

  • We might feel entitled.
    I’m the mother. I carried you for nine months. I deserve a nice gift.
    OR
    I don’t have to thank my Mom. She’s my mother.
  • We might feel the cost of thanking someone via mail negates the value of the gift.
    She gave me a $20 gift certificate. If I buy a card and mail it, that’s 20% of the value of the gift.
  • We may feel that the time it takes to thank someone doesn’t fit into our schedules.
    They know I’m grateful. I don’t have to go out of my way.
  • The feeling of superiority or equity might stop us.
    After all I’ve done for them, I rate a box of candy.
    I invited their family to dinner five times. It’s high time I get a return invitation.
  • We really do forget!

So those are reasons we offer to justify ingratitude. We, like the nine happy lepers, can go on our way using any of these reasons.

But what made the Samaritan leper return to smother Jesus with words and gestures of appreciation?

Let your congregation answer this question and write their words of thanks on the chart.
They might include:

  • Love for the donor.
  • Fear of the donor. (The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.—from today’s psalm—Psalm 111) (Did the Samaritan realize that if Jesus had the power to heal he might also have the power to destroy?
  • Words of gratitude might be an insurance policy of sorts. Keep the gifts coming!
  • But there is always the possibility that the beneficiaries of kindness are just plain thrilled that someone notices and cares that we walk this earth even as unclean outsiders.

When people see their thoughts in writing, their words carry more weight. As you finish today’s object lesson, have the congregation read their giant Thank You card out loud and together.

If you really want the message to hit home, put a thank you card in the mail tomorrow to each member of your congregation. (Not difficult for small churches!). Be specific in thanking them for their contributions to your church community.

Thanks is often a two-way street! We feel good when we are thanked for even the littlest thing. Imagine how God might feel having sacrificed his Son.

EXTRA

If you blog about your lesson—you do blog, don’t you?—here is a link to share with your congregation to reinforce the discussion on giving thanks. It’s just for fun. People learn when they are having fun!

http://social.razoo.com/2012/07/22-delightful-ways-to-say-thank-you/

photo credit: the Italian voice via photopin cc
07 Oct 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 14: 25-33

blindfoldJesus Advises His Followers
It’s Going to Be Tough Going

If anyone thinks for a moment that following a Christian life is a recipe for happiness, think again.

Jesus is clear that He asks a great deal of those who follow Him. It’s not going to be easy.

This passage contains some harsh words. Jesus actually talks about hating your family!

This week’s object is a blindfold. (This week’s lesson could work with older children, too.)

Arrange in advance to have a volunteer from your congregation who is articulate. Have him or her wear a blindfold and try to follow you as you move around the chancel or part of the church—following nothing but your voice.

Ask him or her how it feels. Give them time to consider their experience. The answers might not come right away.

Perhaps they longed to grab hold of a family member or friend. Perhaps they longed to just sit down and find something they could do that might be easier. Perhaps they were tempted to peek. Perhaps they will describe how all their attention—every faculty—was focused on just one thing—following you.

That’s the kind of devotion Jesus expects of his followers. He wants no distractions—not family, not work, not studies or hobbies. None of the usual excuses. He wants us to be ready with every molecule of our existence to follow.

Pick up that cross.

photo credit: stars alive via photopin cc
03 Sep 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 11:1-13

medium_4359212372Lord, teach us to pray.

Today’s object is a door or perhaps a knocker. You’ll want to be able to physically knock in some way or other as you teach today’s object lesson.

The subject today is prayer.

Prayer or conversation with God is foundational to faith. Yet so many people feel inadequate when it comes to prayer.

Today’s gospel starts with this inadequacy. “Lord, teach us to pray.”

The disciples plead with Jesus for help in talking to God. There was no door between them and God. They could reach out and touch him. Yet, they felt inadequate.

Jesus gives them a brief example of prayer using the words that have come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer. However, Jesus knows that the problem is not the words but the attitude we have when we stand at the door and knock. He quickly moves on by telling a story.

Knocking on a door, as any salesperson knows, is frightening. You don’t know what might happen or whom you might encounter. You might be turned away—rejected. There is no worse feeling. It’s feels a bit safer when we know who is behind the door.

Jesus knows our fear.

He tells the story about the man who was embarrassed that he was ill-prepared to welcome a guest. The man didn’t let his shortcomings stop him from trying. It may help to remind your learners that in biblical times it was a true embarrassment to be unable to meet the needs of a stranger asking for hospitality. Modern hearers of this word will be tempted to side with the neighbor who was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night.

The man in Jesus’ story was humiliated when he went to a neighbor at the most inopportune time. When the neighbor tried to turn him away, he persisted. He was willing to risk his honor, pride and reputation to knock again and again on the neighbor’s door until his plea was answered. Jesus wants us to have that same need to knock on His door no matter what our state.

Today’s passage ends with a promise from Jesus. It’s still all about knocking on the door.

Have your learners repeat the passage once or twice. Some will know it by memory.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened”

It’s not a bad passage to memorize. It will come in handy when we reach out with all our feelings of inadequacy to knock on God’s door. We don’t know what will happen when the door opens. But we DO know who is waiting to open the door! We knock with God’s permission and promise — and that’s half the battle. He has already helped us. He gave us the words to use. And we need to nurture our faith to be able to receive the answer.

Here is another visual help. Most of us pass this reminder every day in our neighborhoods and perhaps even our own homes. We see it on TV in every manner of home — Christian and non-Christian.

f0208-03It’s a standard door design dating to colonial America—the cross and Bible door. The pattern forms the cross on top and open Bible below. Your adult learners can think of this passage when they see this door—and before they knock on it!

Opening photo credit: JohnnyEnglish via photopin cc
23 Jul 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Colossians 1:15-28

Sing a New Song

We’ve discussed the Mary/Martha Gospel story before, so this week we are going to offer an adult object lesson based on the epistle lesson. 

This passage isn’t easy to read and realistically it will not resonate with your listeners when it is read in church. It’s all sort of “cosmic.” Complicated!

The letter is often attributed to Paul, but scholars suspect that a follower of Paul wrote it, (despite the claim in verse 23 and the opening verse of Colossians).

Part of the reason this passage does not easily connect with today’s listeners is that we are not in on a cultural “secret.”

The passage is referencing passages of scripture that would have been known to the first recipients of this letter. Among these passages is Proverbs 8:27-31.

I was there when he set the heavens in place,

when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
when he established the clouds above
   and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when he gave the sea its boundary
   so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
rejoicing in his whole world
   and delighting in mankind.

Theologians today refer to the passage from Colossians as a “Christ hymn.”

It might help your congregation to understand it by examining well-known hymn that is more modern but similar in structure—Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.

Calling this hymn “modern” is a bit of a stretch. The words date back to the 7th century, but they were translated and put to new music in the 19th century when so many of the hymns we use today were first sung. 

Your congregation is likely to know or at least have heard this hymn before. 

Read it with your congregation before your sing it. Point to the similarities in message and structure.

This hymn cuts to the chase without referring to the ancient scriptures proving he is the firstborn of all creation. This is already proved! So this proven belief takes the place of the first verses of this passage from Colossians.

Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ, our head and cornerstone,
Chosen of the Lord and precious,
Binding all the Church in one;
Holy Zion’s help forever
And our confidence alone.

The second verse addresses relationship with Christ—similar to verses 19-23a in today’s Epistle.

To this temple, where we call You,
Come, O Lord of hosts, and stay;
Come with all Your loving kindness,
Hear Your people as they pray;
And Your fullest benediction
Shed within these walls today.

The hymn then moves to the “cosmic” and our long-term relationship with God and the hope of glory (like verse 25-31 of the Colossians text).

Grant, we pray, to all Your faithful
All the gifts they ask to gain;
What they gain from You, forever
With the blessed to retain;
And hereafter in Your glory
Evermore with You to reign.

As is typical in hymn structure, this ancient hymn closes with praise for God in all His forms.

Praise and honor to the Father,
Praise and honor to the Son,
Praise and honor to the Spirit,
Ever three and ever one:
One in might and one in glory
While unending ages run!

And so with this unending history of hymns in praise to God, your congregation will have studied three hymns today. The hymn from Proverbs, the Christ Hymn from Colossians and the more modern hymn, Christ is Made the Sure Foundation.

They can feel proud of themselves and sing with joy.

16 Jul 2013

Adult Object Lesson: The Good Samaritan

Caring for the Aliens in Our Midst

Today’s Gospel is one of the best-known stories from the New Testament. It bears repeating because its message is so easily forgotten.

It is the story of The Good Samaritan or The Care and Treatment of Aliens in Our Midst.

We relive this story in our own lives daily. Sometimes we play the Samaritan. Often, we play the priest and the Levite.

Your adults are likely to be well aware of aliens. Aliens are often in the news today. Many people in America want to keep them out, forgetting our shared heritage.

  • Aliens challenge our economy.
  • Aliens bring with them ideologies and values we may not understand.

It is not a greet leap from these fears to a common bottom line on the topic of aliens.

  • Aliens are a threat. Where there is one there is more—who knows how many?
  • What might be “given” to aliens is rightfully “ours.”

The story of the Good Samaritan is a common plotline in literature.

Use the movie ET as a focus of your discussion today. The story of ET is the story of an extraterrestrial—an alien life form. Use a photo of ET or perhaps you can find a vintage ET toy. Or you can just retell the story of Elliot and ET. Let your congregation remind you of ET’s greatest wish (prayer). ET phone home.

ET was an alien in trouble, caught without help in a land that belonged to someone else. He just wanted to go home.

The law wanted him.

Science wanted him.

He was an object to them. The word “alien” stripped him of his, well, we can’t really say “humanity.” But isn’t that what we are tempted to do to modern aliens—strip them of humanity? Sending them home is OK with us because sending them home is within our power.

In the story of ET, sending the alien home is not within human power and that frightens those “in charge” of order and safety. People like to think someone is in control. People in control like to think they have power! It is frightening when we realize we really don’t have as much power or control as we think we have. That’s what the priest and the Levite realized when they “passed on the other side.”

ET is befriended by a young boy who actually becomes one with the creature. He shelters him, feeds him, teaches him and cares for him to the point of sacrificing his life. Sound familiar?

Comparing the story of ET to the Good Samaritan will give you many points to discuss with your adult learners.

  • Who are the aliens in our community? The victims? The misfits?
  • Who are the authorities who pass them by?
  • Who are the Samaritans?

But remember the often forgotten last verses of this story. The Good Samaritan continues to care for the victim long after he drops him at someone else’s door. Being a Good Samaritan is an ongoing responsibility.

Remind your adult learners of the question that prompted Jesus to tell this story.

Who is my neighbor?

Tomorrow’s post will feature The Good Samaritan in Art.

08 Jul 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 7:36–8:3

couponCrashing the Party

Today’s object is a coupon.

When people clip coupons, they care about only two things.

  1. The promise of substantial savings.
  2. The conditions and expiration dates.

The lure of savings is in large, bold and probably red type.

The conditions and expiration date are microscopic.

Coupons work this way. They save you money only if you buy the product the issuer wants you to buy when they want you to buy it. Coupons are a way of controlling the market—while giving the illusion that it’s the consumer they care about. 

The issuer of a coupon is sure that their offering is worthy. They are well-branded—rich and important. Giving a tiny bit—while factoring the gift into the cost—will add to their wealth and status.

But a heavenly coupon is different. The offer of salvation is in big, bold letters.

The fine print may surprise you.

Today’s gospel addresses our tendency to presume that because we have chosen to follow God that we are suddenly better than the other guy. We are in a position to showcase our superiority. We are the bearers of a valuable coupon that, if we read only the large print, leads us to believe:

  • We are better than others.
  • We are certainly better than sinners.
  • We are better than the best people of other faiths and so much better than those who don’t believe at all.

Jesus addresses our self-satisfaction with a story of his own in today’s scripture. But for now, let’s stick to our own little parable.

The Pharisee read the coupon’s large print and issued his own coupon offer. At first, we are led to believe that Jesus alone has been invited to dinner. Later verses reveal that the dinner has many guests. So it’s a party! “Come to my party for Jesus. There is something in it for you!”

The Pharisee is maximizing his status. He is giving with the expectation of reward!

We in the church can do this, too.

The Pharisee’s dinner party is a show. A boast. The Pharisee can contribute to the cause and assure himself status in heaven and, for the time being, on earth.

Then, there is the small print. The disclaimer and the expiration date. The Pharisee’s coupon comes with conditions. Read carefully.

The Pharisee’s conditions are that you are already accepted in fine society, worthy to cross his threshold.

The woman who intrudes on this party has the original coupon. She read the small print. She saw the conditions — repent and believe. Expiration date? There is none!

This woman, already low in society’s ladder of importance, coupon in hand (so to speak), intrudes on a dinner party intended for the best of society. Not only is she a woman (not to be listened to) but she is recognized as a sinner. She is such a sinner that there is no need to address the sin. It’s taken for granted. Everyone knows.

The host and important guests are aghast. Who let her in?

Jesus, the guest of honor, applauds her daring. He points to her humility and sacrifice—her willingness to make a public spectacle of her devotion despite the shame and public ridicule she knows so well.

With the odds stacked against her, she wants her part of the promise. She read the fine print. She intends to redeem this coupon for full value.

And that is just fine with Jesus.

photo credit: Max Nathan via photopin cc
12 Jun 2013