Lyrics
Verse 1
I was taking a trip on a plane the other day, wishin' that I could get out
When the man next to me saw the book in my hand and then he asked me what it was about
So I settled back in my seat, a best-seller I said, a hist'ry and a myst'ry in one
And I opened up the book and began to read from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Chorus
He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem
Angels gathered 'round Him underneath the star singing praises to the great I Am
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again
And for the first time here on earth we learn that God could be a friend
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him
And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and that was the end of the beginning
Verse 2
That's not a new book, that's a Bible, he said, and I've heard it all before
I tried religion, it's shame and guilt, and I don't need it anymore
It's superstition, made-up tales, just to help the weak to survive
Let me read it again, I said, but listen closely, this is gonna change your life
Verse 3
The end of the beginning, he said with a smile, what more could there be He's dead
You said they hung Him, put nails in His hands and a crown of thorns on His head,
I said, I'll read it again, but this time there's more and I believe that this is true
His death wasn't the end but the beginning of life that's completed in you
Don't you see, He did all this for you
Chorus
He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem
Angels gathered 'round Him underneath the star singing praises to the great I Am
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again
And for the first time here on earth we learn that God could be a friend
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him
And then He walked down the road and died, three days later
Three days later, three days later, He rose
Outro
Three days later, three days later, three days later, He rose
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
End of the Beginning is a narrative song sung by The Prestonwood Choir that begins on an airplane. A traveler opens a Bible and reads from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the man in the next seat dismisses it as superstition and guilt. The chorus then retells the life of Jesus in brief: the virgin birth in Bethlehem, angels and the star, walking on water, healing the lame, and the crowd's choice to condemn Him.
The turn comes when the speaker offers to read the account again, this time believing it. The line "His death wasn't the end but the beginning of life" frames the cross as an opening rather than a conclusion, and the closing repetition of "Three days later, He rose" points to the resurrection. The song reads as a plain gospel conversation set to music, and it may be heard alongside 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, which summarizes the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Related Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Paul summarizes the gospel as Christ dying, being buried, and rising on the third day.
- Matthew 28:5-6 The angel tells the women that Jesus is not in the tomb because He has risen.