We'll meet again. Andreas

Sitting at my desk, preparing for tomorrow's workload, the sound signalling an incoming text message didn't prepare me for the shock that was to come. But the content of the text message jerked me out of my state of drowsiness. A young boy of 16 I have known since his infant days, had collapsed and died while on a mountain excursion with his schoolmates.

I met two of his brothers just a couple of hours ago, as friends and acquaintances were swarming into my pastor's house, less than 150 yards away from where I live. In a hushed atmosphere, filled with sadness - yet simultaneously curiously infused with hope, we small-talked and comforted each other as best we could.

Some were more overcome with grief than others, scarcely believing that Andreas is no longer with us. Dying at 16 isn't normal. It's pointless. Yet we don't shake our fists in protest, raging against any divinity that may happen to hear us. This young man was a devoted follower of Jesus, and, according to those closest to him, he was one of those rare people with an extraordinary capacity for empathy. His brother's knew that. His friends had watched him expressing this heartfelt compassion. And I had witnessed it, too.

Andreas died prematurely. I say that knowing full well that it is a miracle that he survived infancy, as this precious boy was born with a heart condition. Nevertehless, we will all miss him. And yet our grief is tempered by the knowledge that this is no final goodbye. We will meet again, Andreas. We will.