February 15, 2026

I want to consider the story of Hansel and Gretel. You will recall that this old German folk story tells of parents who during a famine lead their children into the woods with the intention (at least on the stepmother’s part) to leave them behind because they are unable to care for them. Initially the children leave a trail of stones to follow home. The second time however the children are unable to gather stones and leave bread crumbs which are eaten by birds leaving them well and truly lost. Eventually the children come across a house made of gingerbread and in the hunger begin to eat. It’s this point in the story I want to focus on. As the reader we immediately feel uncomfortable at this point in the story. Why? Because we know that a house made of food when your starving is just too good to be true. We understand that the children are too immature to come to this conclusion and therefore are in considerable danger. Houses made of gingerbread don’t simply show up in the forest without a reason. In this case the reason is quite sinister. Suppose these children had an adult around to ask where they think the house came from and what purpose they think it had? They would likely answer based on their hunger and say I don’t see anyone around and I think we are just lucky to have stumbled upon this house now please move aside and let me eat. We can understand the impulse but we also know that a sober second thought is in order here. 

This brings us to one of the most popular modern efforts to remove God from his place and supplant the ruler of the universe with ourselves. The apostle Paul describes these people in Romans chapter one. There we read: “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator.” Even people with very little training can do basic logic. The logic in this case could not be simpler. If the universe came from nothing for no reason, then humans are the top. There is nothing smarter or more capable than us and so we should do what we want and like. What is it that accounts for the raw materials of the universe or the mind which was able to manipulate them so effectively? We are somewhat like Hansel and Gretel; we found the house and are enjoying it we don’t want to think about where it came from. However, a moment’s thought will force us to realize that gingerbread houses don’t appear out of nowhere there must be someone who made it for some reason. This brings us back to Paul and Romans one: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

~ Kevin Cleary