WASHINGTON — Bells chimed softly, a flute slowly played ‘‘Morning Has Broken,’’ and thousands filled the soaring nave of the Washington National Cathedral for the interment of Matthew Shepard, the young man whose murder 20 years ago came to symbolize the hatred many Americans have harbored toward gay people.

The poignant service was at once a funeral and a celebration of life, a moment of closure for Shepard’s loved ones and of remembrance for all those moved by the murder of Shepard, who was pistol-whipped and left for dead in a remote Wyoming prairie.

Presiding over the worship service at the second-largest cathedral in the country, in front of a crowd of about 2,025 people, was Bishop Gene Robinson.

His elevation in the early 2000s as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church marked another huge — and controversial — milestone in the push for LGBT equality.

In his homily, Robinson shared an anecdote from the first police officer who arrived at the site of Shepard’s attack, a remote fence to which his battered body was lashed and had spent the cold night.

When the officer arrived, he said, a deer was laying beside Shepard’s body. Upon her arrival, the animal looked straight into the officer’s eyes and then ran away.

‘‘What she said was: ‘That was the good Lord, no doubt in my mind.’ And there’s no doubt in my mind either. God has always loved Matt,’’ Robinson said.

Robinson choked back tears as he spoke of his own consecration as an openly gay Episcopal bishop, about five years after Shepard’s death.

‘‘Just before I strapped on my bulletproof vest for my consecration, someone hand delivered a note from Judy Shepard. It said: ‘I know Matthew will be smiling down upon you tomorrow,’’ Robinson said.

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