I delivered this sermon today at All Saints Amsterdam.

A few months ago, along with much of humanity, it seemed, I went to see Barbie. Walking out of the theatre and forming an opinion on this intro to feminism, I renamed the film to a title which I will use again today: “Blueprints: a pamphlet against simplicity”.

It’s nice to see all of your faces here today. I’ve met most of you before, but let me make an official introduction. My name is Zinzy, I’m 35 years old, I live in Amsterdam, and I work in the tech industry. I’m an interaction designer at a medical technology company, which is to say that I design the ways in which doctors and nurses interact with my company’s software. My job is to find out how we can improve the lives of essential workers. It involves a lot of research, empathizing, and imagining. The phrase I repeat over and over again is: “How might we…?”

I offered this confession as part of my confirmation into the Mennonite Church of Haarlem. While I recognize a few details that make me chuckle or cringe, much of what I believe today is reflected in the words below. At the time, I believed this church was the most at-home I would ever be able to feel at church. After I moved away to Amsterdam, and after years of being a spiritual nomad, I discovered All Saints.