Listen to the podcast here God Uses Imperfect People The story of Jephthah in Judges 11 is one of the most difficult passages in the entire Bible. It contains themes of rejection, leadership, faith, tragedy, and human failure. At first glance, it can leave us wondering why God would include such a story in Scripture at all. Yet beneath the complexity of this account is a powerful truth: God accomplishes His purposes through deeply imperfect people. An Unlikely Leader Jephthah

Listen to the podcast here Watch the sermon here The ninth chapter of Judges is one of the darkest chapters in the entire Bible. Unlike many of the stories we've encountered throughout Judges, there is no heroic deliverer, no dramatic rescue, and no moment where God's people cry out in repentance and experience restoration. Instead, Judges 9 presents a sobering picture of what happens when ambition, pride, and sin are allowed to flourish unchecked. At the center of the story

Listen to our podcast here Mary’s words in Luke 1 are some of the most familiar in Scripture: “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” Yet sometimes a single verse settles deeply into our hearts in a fresh way. That is exactly what happens when we slow down long enough to truly consider what Mary is saying in her song of praise, often called the Magnificat. Mary had just received overwhelming news. She would become the mother of the promised Mess

Hosea 14 Listen to the podcast here There are moments in life when fear doesn’t announce itself loudly. It doesn’t always arrive as panic or crisis. Sometimes it shows up quietly — as tension in your chest, a knot in your stomach, sleepless thoughts that keep circling through your mind. Sometimes fear looks like staring at a resume you updated but cannot bring yourself to send. Sometimes it sounds like endless “what if” questions that leave you spiritually exhausted. Fear has

When Good People Don’t Finish Well: Lessons from Gideon’s Life You can listen to our Podcast here The story of Gideon in Judges is one of the most fascinating and sobering stories in Scripture. Gideon began as a fearful man hiding in a winepress, yet God called him to become a mighty warrior and deliverer of Israel. Through God’s power, Gideon defeated an overwhelming enemy army with only 300 men. He tore down idols, trusted God in battle, and became one of the great heroes o

Listen to the podcast here Watch the sermon here In Judges 7, the story of Gideon reminds us of a truth we often struggle to believe: God does His greatest work through weakness. With an army of 32,000 men facing 135,000 Midianites, Gideon was already badly outnumbered. Yet God told him the army was still too large. Why? Because if Israel won with strength and numbers, they would believe they had saved themselves instead of giving glory to God. So God reduced Gideon’s army ag

Listen to the podcast here Watch the entire sermon here When Faith Feels Small: Lessons from Gideon There’s something deeply comforting—and also a little unsettling—about the story of Book of Judges chapter 6. It reminds us that God works through weakness, hesitation, and even doubt. But it also confronts us with an important question: What does real faith actually look like? Gideon’s story sits right in that tension. God Works Through Weakness At this point in the story, Gid

Faith That Walks Before It Sees There’s something deeply uncomfortable about waiting. We live in a world that rewards speed, certainty, and control. We want answers now, direction now, results now. But when we step into the life of faith, especially as we see in Hebrews 11, we quickly realize something very different: Faith is often slow. Faith is often uncertain. And faith almost always requires waiting. Following Before You See In Hebrews 11:8, we meet Abraham—a man called

Listen to our podcast here There is a question that quietly confronts each of us—one we don’t always stop long enough to answer honestly: Is every hour, every moment of every day given to the Lord of glory—who loves us, provides for us, and cares for us? It’s not an easy question. Because when we truly pause and reflect, we begin to see the tension in our lives. We want to live for God. We desire to honor Him. And yet, so often, our time, our energy, and our purpose drift tow

You can listen to our Podcast here You can watch the sermon here Easter: Death, Resurrection, and the Gift of Salvation Every year, all around the world, Christians gather to celebrate one powerful truth: Jesus Christ is alive. Easter is not just a tradition. It is not just a holiday.It is the moment that defines everything we believe. On Good Friday, we reflect on the weight of the cross—the suffering, the sacrifice, the cost of sin. But Easter morning changes everything. I

Listen to the podcast here Watch the sermon here There are moments in life when victory feels impossible—when the odds are stacked so heavily against us that even hope seems outnumbered. Judges 5 captures one of those moments in Israel’s history. But instead of telling the story as a simple recounting of events, it gives us something deeper: a song. Deborah’s Song is not just about a battle won—it’s about how God moves, who He uses, and what happens when people step forward

Listen to our Podcast Watch the Sermon What if the people God wants to use most… don’t look like the obvious choice? In Judges 4, we find a powerful reminder that God doesn’t just work through the strong, the trained, or the expected. He works through ordinary people—each with different roles, different gifts, and different levels of visibility. And together, they change everything. A Familiar Problem The story begins with a pattern we’ve seen before: The people of Israel onc

A Reflection on Judges 3 A Podcast of the sermon A video of the sermon Sometimes the world feels like a great cosmic battle between good and evil. Movies love this idea: two equally matched forces clashing to see who will win. But the Bible tells a very different story. In Judges 3 , we see something surprising: God is not merely one player in the game. He is the one who controls the entire board. A pastor once compared it to a chess master playing both sides of the board . W

Watch the Sermon Only have a few minutes? Listen to our podcast overview of the Sermon There’s something unsettling about the book of Judges. It doesn’t read like a carefully curated social media feed where every angle is flattering and every moment filtered. Instead, it shows the good, the bad, and the ugly of God’s people over nearly two centuries. And maybe that’s why we need it. Judges opens with a hopeful beginning. After Joshua’s death, the people inquire of the Lord:

We offer three ways for you to experience our sermon. We have overall notes of the sermon, a short podcast of the sermon, and the complete video of the sermon. We hope you find the format that works for you. Download today's notes Watch the Sermon

After telling you all about his wife, Sarah, and kids, Makenna, Connor, and Reagan, there’s one thing you’ll notice about Pastor Josh, it’s that he loves adventure—particularly the kind that leads people closer to God. Before planting Hope Reformed Church here in Massachusetts, Josh and his family served as missionaries in Papua New Guinea with Seed Company and Wycliffe Bible Translators . Their years overseas taught them the beauty of cultural diversity, the power of simple

Christmas is just around the corner. Many people will decorate during this season with Christmas lights on houses and trees. Some will even include candles, and perhaps even an advent wreath. During the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, Advent reminds us of the hope, peace, joy, and love that invaded our world when Jesus... “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The light from the burning candles remind us that Light of the World, Jesus Christ, now shines in

A Journey Through History: The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Founders of the Scottish Secession Church by Unknown artist etching and aquatint, late 18th century NPG D36927 The story of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC) is one of resilience, faith, and the pursuit of theological convictions. Its origins can be traced back to a tumultuous period in Scottish church history, where a group of dissenters sought to uphold their beliefs amidst political and

At Hope Reformed Church we seek to be a church growing in relationship with God, His church, and our community. This is a big vision for a small church, and it will require all hands on deck, “Keeping in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Prayerfully, we believe that God will help us to accomplish this vision for His church. Our vision grew out of a planning meeting held by our core team when we were first starting the church. At that time, we looked at our core values a