All of us gathered today have been in a holding pattern of grief since the day, Andrew died.
For 6 days before that time he existed in a time warp between life and death,
between this world and the next, as a prayer force that literally reached around the world prayed for him, and waited in a vigil of mingled fear and hope.
Andrew's death was not the peaceful death of a person who had lived into old age, and was ready to meet his maker;
Andrew was taken from us in an irrational way that defied both logic and faith.
We have struggled since, not only with our loss but also with our unanswered questions, trying to make sense of the insensible.
I have no doubt that Andrew, now, is in that place spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, where God wipes away every tear.
I have no doubt that Andrew himself is comforted, and resting in the arms of Christ.
Sorrows and pain that Andrew carried in his life are gone.
That is the hope of the resurrection.
For surely as Christ died, and rose again he fulfilled the promise spoken of in Isaiah today - He destroyed the shroud that is cast over all people - the shroud of death.
And surely he is the one Isaiah spoke of, saying, This is our God - we have waited for him, that he might save us.
In that is the promise of eternal life - for Andrew, and for ourselves.
A day will come when we will see him again, as we see Christ face to face.
Until that day, we live in hope, knowing that death has ultimately been defeated.
We do not see the fruit of that defeat today. We see only the seed, the body of Christ, given for us.
Andrew is with Christ - and whatever struggles or concerns he had are at rest.
And we are diminished by his passing.
Poet and priest John Donne spoke for all of us when he said, "each man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind."
We have been diminished by the loss of this young man.
While we cannot say what the future holds, we can say without doubt that life will be different without him.
And here, in our grief, it is not only Christ the Resurrection who speaks, but Christ the crucified.
It is in the wounds of God, that we can find comfort - that Christ, who suffered for our sake, brings us consolation as one who has been here before, one who has suffered, one who has loved, and loves to the end of time.
Christ the Crucifed loved Andrew more than we can ever imagine,
and we must now entrust him into Jesus' capable hands.
Just as He loves Andrew, so he loves us, and enables us to love and comfort one another.
Just as the body of Christ in the Eucharist is a seed for resurrection life,
so are we, as the corporate body of Christ, a reflection of the love and commitment we will find at that heavenly banquet.
That love and commitment has been expressed in the last 10 days in myriad ways.
Michael, Barbara, Elizabeth, and Jan - our prayer is that we can continue to be a support to you, and that we can support one another.
For only together can we find our way through the darkness of grief, and into the light of God.
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