Every year during Lent, the role of Christ bearing his cross to Calvary is re-enacted in the village of Sartene, Corsica. This has been going on ever since the Middle Ages, and it always draws a big crowd of villagers and thousands of tourists who come for the occasion.

Time magazine, when reporting on one of the more recent episodes, called it "one of the world’s most brutally powerful Holy Week processions." And the report was a graphic description of what happened:

A grotesque lump of a man ... barefoot, masked in a blood-red hood with eye slits ... staggered under the weight of a massive oak cross. From his right ankle dragged a clanking, thirty-one-pound chain ... He grunted and puffed as he bore the cross along a one and a half mile route ... struggled painfully up flights of ancient granite stairs enroute to the Corsican version of Calvary.

Meanwhile, the villagers and tourists - 15,000 of them last year - gathered along the route to mock and jeer. No, this was not a drama or passion play.

The hooded figure was that of a conscience-stricken French sinner whose identity was known only to the local curate. From wherever he had come, the man was there voluntarily to atone for his sins by enacting the role of Christ making his way to Calvary. So popular is the part, that it is booked solid for the next forty years by applicants from as far away as Madagascar. The list includes gamblers, adulterers, exconvicts ... all seeking peace of mind.

The message of Lent is that we who desire to be right with God and at peace with him throughout eternity do not have to endure this anguish. Jesus has borne it for us. The entire reason for Jesus’ coming into the world was "to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:48) The ground of my Redemption was laid. All that I, the guilty sinner, need do is to acknowledge what he has done as my substitute and not refuse his pardon.

You ask, can a pardon be refused? In the year 1829, two men, named Wilson and Porter, were convicted of robbing the United States mail and were sentenced to death by hanging. Three weeks before the time set for the execution, both men were pardoned by President Jackson. Strangely enough, one of them, Wilson, refused the pardon. This presented a real dilemma. The case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court. At last the court handed down its decision, in these words:

A pardon is a deed, to the validity of which delivery is not complete without acceptance. It may be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered; and if rejected, we have discovered no power in this court to force it upon him.

Most people will agree that Wilson acted foolishly by refusing to accept the pardon, and consequently to meet death by execution. But how much more foolish to reject the pardon offered by Christ, a pardon that pertains not only to temporal but eternal life?

And yet, how many are the excuses rejecting so great a salvation. How many foolishly refuse God’s provision in Christ. They do this in various ways.

So many offer the excuse, "I’m sincere. As long as a person is sincere, he’ll be alright. It doesn’t matter what I believe so long as I am sincere in what I do believe." But a person can be sincerely wrong. Suppose you board a plane which you think is going to New Zealand, but it is actually headed to Chicago. In spite of your sincerity, you’ll end up at the wrong destination unless you change flights. Suppose you go to the cabinet in the dark of night to reach for medicine. Beside the bottle of medicine is a toxic substance. With all sincerity you make a mistake and take a dose of poison. You may be sincere, but sincerely mistaken, perhaps sincerely dead. You may be sincere and honest about saying you believe and profess very little, but in the Bible the Lord Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life ..." (John 14:6) The Bible also says, "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men ... Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5) If we miss Christ, and do not place a commitment with him, we may be sincere, but we will be sincerely wrong. He is the only effective antidote to sin and its ruin.

Some people excuse themselves for not accepting Christ as Savior and Lord by saying, "I’m too great a sinner." Admittedly, you don’t hear this often today, but we are sinners and often bigger than we realize. However, the Lord bids us come reason together, and through the redemptive work of Christ, "Though your sins be as scarlet; they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) The Apostle Paul had been guilty of murder, yet was forgiven and became a useful apostle. He once wrote, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15) If the Lord can save the chief of sinners, he can save you.

Very often you hear the opposite excuse, also, for not accepting Christ, "I’m not a great sinner." You may be a greater sinner than you realize. If you sin but once a day, your sins would total over 3,650 in the last ten years. These sins have to be forgiven. They condemn you unless remitted by the grace of Christ, which you need to accept. Nowhere does the Bible teach that we are saved by good works. Rather it says, "For by grace you have been saved ..." (Ephesians 2:8) "We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God ... so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Then, some make this excuse, "There are too many hypocrites in the church." True, there may be hypocrites. But you don’t keep out of other things because they have hypocrites. You don’t stop voting for statesmen because there may be crooked politicians. You still go to lawyers, though there may be shysters. You still see your doctor though there may be quacks around. You don’t stop using ten dollar bills because there are some counterfeit bills in circulation. Would that everyone of us might stop making excuses (whether great or small) which keep us from coming to Christ, accepting his pardon, forgiveness and salvation, and from giving our hearts completely to him as Lord.

After all, the wonder is that God would invite us to his salvation! You would think that it would be he who didn’t want us, rather than we who would want to make trivial excuses. For, after all, we’re the sinners and the ones who will benefit from accepting the invitation. "Behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

The story is told of John Wesley, the great Anglican reformer, that he was once invited to tea at the home of English royalty following one of his great out-of-door evangelistic crusades. At the tea, one of the royalty said, "Mr. Wesley, we think that you went a little too far today in your preaching." To this Wesley responded, "Why do you say that?" The reply, "Because you made the statement that God would never refuse anyone. You went so far as to say that Jesus would take people the devil was tired of. You said that the Lord would take the devil’s castaways." About this time John Wesley reached into his pocket and opened up a note which had been quickly handed to him following the day’s sermon and read it. It read like this, "We are just two old sinful women from the London underworld. We heard you preach today. We heard you say that Jesus would take even the devil’s castaways. Hearing that and believing it, we want to start life over and give ourselves to God." Wesley only preached what Jesus exemplified during his visible ministry of his thirty three years in our midst. There is no record of Jesus ever refusing anyone (regardless of the wretchedness of the past) if only that person stopped making excuses once he or she had been touched and warmed by the spirit of Christ. "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

During Jesus’ ministry, thieves came to him, and he took them in. When an adulteress was flung at his feet whom the Pharisees thought should be stoned, Jesus took her in. When a cursing, swearing fisherman crossed his path, Jesus took him in. The Bible teaches that Jesus never refused anyone, "... him who comes to me I will not cast out." (John 6:37) And Jesus will not refuse you. You may refuse him and make excuses and thereby be lost forever, but this will not be his fault. "For God sent not his Son to condemn ..." (John 3:17) It was for the very purpose of your salvation and mine, that he came and suffered the worst pain and humiliation that this universe has ever known, enduring the temporal and eternal punishment for your sins, so that you in turn might be spared the everlasting consequence of your trangressions in torment and perdition. "For he says, ‘At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.’ " (2 Corinthians 6:2)

And because he has done this most loving of all deeds for you, why need you fear him? Why need you make excuses for not coming to him and serving him? Why need you flee from him, and would you not wish to cling always and forever to him? Why procrastinate? Why put off his invitation?

Some of you may recall the nearly classic account of how procrastination is said to be used by Satan to bring ultimate condemnation upon humankind. In this narrative the Evil One is pictured as calling together all of his assistants and asking this question:

"Who will go forth to ruin souls on earth?"

The answer came readily from one: "I will."

"What will you tell them?"

"I’ll tell them there is no God."

"What will that do," Satan replied gloomily. "Men know there is a God. Some may try to deny it, but down deep in their hearts they know there is a God."

Again he repeated the question. "Who will go forth to ruin souls on earth?"

A second demon replied, "I will."

"And what will you tell them?"

"I’ll tell them there is a God, and I’ll tell them he is just and holy, but that they are too bad to come to him."

"That won’t do," answered Satan. "Their very need will drive them to him. And their Bibles tell them how God invites sinners to receive pardon. I want something more clever than that to ruin men."

Once more the demons heard the terrible question ring through the courts of darkness, "Who will go forth to ruin souls?"

There was a pause. Then in his dream he saw a third demon come forward and say, "I will."

"And what will you tell them?"

"I’ll tell them," he answered slowly, "that there is a God. That they are bad. That God so loved the world he gave his Son to die for them that they need not perish but may have eternal life."

"How will that ruin them?" asked Satan impatiently.

"I’ll tell them it’s all true," the demon repeated with fiendish malice, "but I’ll tell them there is time enough to think over accepting God’s offer." A murmur of applause passed through the caverns of despair. "Go forth," said the Prince of Darkness, "You will be successful." And he went forth, and day by day, and even today, his message of ruin has ever been, and is being whispered to multitudes.

Many of you know you should receive Christ as your Savior, but somehow you say to yourself, "Time enough, I’m well and strong, I can wait a while. Time enough!" There is past, present and future. But the past is gone - we can’t recall it. The future - we have no guarantee of it. All that’s left is the present. That’s why the Bible says, "Now is the day of salvation." "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." "Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

Lord, help us to see the folly of waiting for a convenient season. Give us victory over procrastination! Let none of us be deceived by procrastination in the area which determines our eternal destiny. Lord, even on this Ash Wednesday, remind us that now is the time of salvation. Take all excuses from our lips, help us this day to repent of all sin and help us commit ourselves without reservation totally to you and your salvation!