My Thoughts On Pavel
Words fail to express my sadness at the death of my former Newcastle
Utd. room mate Pavel Srnicek yesterday. You see, he
and I joined the club within a few weeks of each other and stayed together at
the New Kent Hotel in Jesmond in those early days. Those days in the early
1990s were tough days on the field and not easy for any of us let alone a young
man in a new country trying to understand a new language… and of course a new
Geordie accent!
But Pavel’s character prevailed. We roomed together for a while
and got to know each other quite well. He was a gentleman, a kind man with that
elusive virtue… humility. This is why he endeared himself to everyone. He never
thought too highly of himself. And this is also why he learned to become a very
good goalkeeper. He came as a raw talent and left the club as a fine talent. He
came to grow and to be taught and he left as a man respected by all of his
peers and who became a teacher and mentor of many, including Steve Harper who wrote
a heartfelt tribute on Twitter: “A truly beautiful soul has left this world far too
early!! Thank you so much for everything you did for me Pav”.
Even more than that, Pavel captured the hearts of the Geordie
fans. I love the Geordies. My father’s mum and dad, my grandparents, were born
and bred in the North East, which makes me half Geordie. I grew up going to
South Shields for holidays. My first kit was a Newcastle one and I loved playing
for the club. I’ll always remember my late granddad Tom, a WWII Navy veteran,
telling me, “Bread and jam on Tyneside is better than fillet steak anywhere in
the world”. It was one of the proudest days of his life when I first pulled on
that black and white shirt. But before I signed for the club he told me another
thing, “Remember, Gavin, the fans would sweat blood for that team if they could.
So if they see that you would die for the club then they will forgive you many
errors.” This is where Pav won the Geordie hearts. He loved their club, he
loved them, they loved him back and he became a hero, even one of the famous
Entertainers in Kevin Keegan’s era. Yet through it all, Pavel remained a humble man
with a big heart.
A brief life
That is why it is so tragic that the heart of a man, so young,
fit and strong gave way and he eventually lost his life at 47 years old. When
we are faced with the death of family or friends it automatically turns our
minds to a couple of things: the first is the person you’ve lost, the second is
the brevity and fragility of your own life. The fact is that everyone who reads
this article will die one day. Actually none of us knows whether he or she will
live through the next day. Much like Pavel, we may be strong and fit and yet be
struck down in an instant by illness or accident. And even if we live a long
life, we will grow old, gravity will take its toll and we will lose our vigor
and strength. You can’t cheat death. Life is brief.
The question
This brings up the question: for what do you live? What is the
meaning of life? The common response is, “Just live each day to the full and
make the most of loved ones around you.” But it offers no hope. The
secular mindset says you're born, you live, and you die. That’s it. So eat
drink and be merry. Get what you can out of it. That’s selfish. However, the
Christian mindset says, you're born, you live, you die, and yet you live. That’s
hope. So you can give your life away for others, knowing what you have can
never be lost. That’s selfless.
The Bible’s view of man is that he is of great worth. He is
created in God’s image with the capacity to know him and obey him. He is not,
as some would say, an accident of nature, chemical explosions or animal
evolution. The Bible starts with God not man. He creates us, which means we are
obligated to him. And that is a good thing. But ever since Adam sinned by
disobeying God in the Garden of Eden, all men and women “have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God must judge sin because God is
holy and just. And who doesn’t want a just Judge in charge of the universe? If
he is a just Judge then he must punish sinners, which means we also need to God
to be gracious and merciful.
Our sin is the reason for suffering, sickness and death. Our sin
is the reason for divorce and war, rape and child abuse, poverty and famine and
the fractured world in which we live. We have elevated ourselves above God, so
each one does what is right in his own eyes and every opinion is valid, until
that opinion says ours is wrong. Autonomy, relational breakdown and chaos ensues.
Furthermore, the Bible tells us that sin is not just a sickness; man is not a victim, he is a rebel against God. That’s a problem which
humanity throughout history has not been able to solve no matter how many
attempts at social reform we make. So Christianity is about God taking the
initiative to love and reconcile sinful people to himself. How? Remember the
banner you see at so many World Cups and major sporting events? John 3:16:
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”.
This is why we traditionally celebrate Christmas. It’s about that
moment when God became a man in history's greatest rescue act because man can’t save himself.
The Gospel of Matthew puts it like this,
“And you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people
from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).
Jesus saves by living the perfect life that we can’t and by taking
the punishment of God in the place of anyone who would turn from living their
way and trust in him. In other words, he is the perfect substitute who steps
onto the field for us, rescues us from defeat, and secures victory. Jesus frees us
from guilt and condemnation. And when he rose from the dead he promised to return
and he promised an eternal future in heaven with no more, sin, suffering or
sorrow. To ignore this offer and die means to remain under judgment forever. So
the question is not so much for what are you living as for whom are you living: yourself or Christ? He came to die so people
like us could live.
Identity, belonging,
acceptance and worship
You might think this is crazy, untrue and delusional, but this
is the testimony of the Bible. It is the testimony of historic Christianity. It
is the testimony of millions of Christians in churches worldwide today and throughout
the ages. And it logically explains the reason why we exist, the reason why we
die and the reason for real hope. Christianity is the only religion that satisfactorily
deals with the problem of our reconciliation to God and to each other. Because
it is the only religion where God comes down as a man to freely save man.
That’s called grace. All you need to do is turn and believe.
In all of us there is a desire for identity, a desire to belong and be
accepted, and a desire to worship. We see echoes of this particularly in
football. Football fans find an identity in
the team they support. They find pleasure in the sense of belonging and camaraderie as they find acceptance simply because they support the same team. And their
desire for worship of the big and
beautiful and thrilling is found in the players who become their heroes.
Football is a great game. The best. But if you look to football for ultimate purpose
it won’t last, it won’t satisfy and it won’t eventually save you. It can only treat
the symptoms without addressing the problem of sin in the heart of each man and
woman, which separates us from God.
Memories
I have been thinking about Pavel for days now, especially yesterday
as I was out jogging much like he was a few days ago. We haven’t seen each
other for years. That often happens in football when you move clubs and then
retire. I was hoping I might see him at a Newcastle v Manchester ex pros game
at St James’ Park next year. Sadly this will not happen and so I am left with
memories.
My first memory of Pavel was of a smiling, gentle giant walking
into the Benwell training ground. My final playing memory of him was taking a
penalty for Chelsea in an FA Cup shoot out at St James’ in 1996. We looked at
each other, a twinkle in our eyes even in the heat of the moment. He knew which
way I used to put them. I scored that day and Chelsea won. But he went on with
the “Entertainers” and became a Newcastle legend.
However, my abiding memory of him will always be on a beautiful day
in May 1993. We beat Leicester 7-1. We won the championship and promotion to
the Premier League. We walked around the pitch on a lap of honor, and then in a
special moment the big man took of his top revealing a t-shirt underneath that
read, “Pavel is a Geordie”. And so he will always remain in my heart, in our hearts – “Pav
the Geordie” to teammates, coaches and fans alike. As Tyneside mourns let us remember
the man, let us remember his family. And may Pavel’s brief life give us cause
to ask what we truly live for and where true hope can be found.