Before there was a crown, there was dust.

Before there was a cross, there was a garden.

Before the flood, before the wandering, before the blood cried from

the ground, there was a voice in the darkness.

And when everything was broken, that voice still spoke

promise

Before

the plow had cut the field Before the sea had learned

its name Before the stars were hung like fire You spoke

and filled the dark with flame You called the morning from

the deep You drew the rivers from the stone You breathed

the dust and made a man And said this garden was

his home The beasts were quiet in the shade The trees

were heavy with their fruit The woman stood beside the man

And all the earth was pure in truth No wound had

yet been born in flesh No grave had opened in the

ground Only the wind, the light, the breath And heaven singing

all around In the beginning you were there Light in the

void and life in the clay When we were broken When

we were cast out Still you did not turn away Over

the waters, over the dust Over the sorrow we could not

name You spoke a promise Into the night And carried the

world with grace But in the garden came a voice

That bent our trust and split the peace A whispered hunger

for the throne A hand that reached and would not cease

The fruit was taken, eyes were torn Innocence gave way to

shame We heard your footsteps in the dusk And nothing in

the world remained the same The thorns came crawling through the

earth The sweat and sorrow took their place The woman wept,

the man bowed low Exile burned across each face And east

of Eden rose the egg A flaming sword, a closing door

We lost the country of your nearness And wandered from it

evermore In the beginning, you were there Light in the void

and life in the clay When we were broken, when we

were cast out Still you did not turn away Over the

waters, over the dust, over the sorrow we could not name

You spoke a promise into the night and carried the world

with grace Then blood cried out from broken ground,

a brother fallen by his kin The cities rose, the violence

spread And every heart leaned hard to sin The heavens broke,

the fountains burst The ark rode high above the grave A

remnant floated through your mercy Carried by the hands that saved

Yet even dry land did not heal The pride of man

climbed brick by brick A tower reaching for your height A

name we made with lips too quick You scattered tongues across

the earth You split the roads of tribe and land Still

through the ruin and the striving You moved with an unseen

hand Then to a wanderer you called Come from your father's

house and go Lift up your eyes and count the stars

If mortal eyes can count that glow I'll make from dust

a covenant I'll bless the nations through your line Though years

are long and wounds are barren My word will stand through

time Isaac laughed beneath the promise Jacob dreamed with stone for

bed Angels moved between the worlds And mercy followed where he

fled Through wrestling nights and wounded faith Through sun's divided

famine fear You kept alive what you had spoken Though the

road ran hard and severe

In the beginning you were there Light

in the void and life in the clay When we were

broken, when we were cast out Still you did not turn

away Over the waters, over the dust, over the generations wandering

in pain You kept your promise alive in the dark And

carried the world with grace

A favored son was sold for silver Cast down to strangers

far from home Yet through the prison and the silence Your

hidden purpose still moved on For what was meant to curse

and bury You turned a shelter into bread A family bruised

by sin and envy Was kept alive instead So Israel came

down to Egypt With all his children old and worn Not

at the end but at the threshold Of another fire, another

dawn

The grave was near the promised Father Still not dead, still

not undone For in this book of first beginnings Your promise

had already begun

In the beginning you were there

Light in the void and life in the clay when we

were broken when we were cast out but still you did

not turn away over the waters over the dust over the

generations wandering in pain you kept your promise alive in the

dark and carried the world with grace