Just What is a Beyonce Mass?

Rev. Yolanda Norton, March 8 2020

I can't say that I have much knowledge of Beyonce's music, although I'm ancient enough to remember when she was a member of the highly successful trio, Destiny's Child. Beyonce is one of the most popular musical artists in the world and along with her husband Jay-Z they are powerhouse gajillionaires. 

Apparently listening to Beyonce is also a religious experience.. Back in March a theological school professor offered a worship experience in New York City called the Beyonce Mass which featured a chorus of Black women singing her music rather than hymns before an audience/congregation of 500.  This was not the first time presider the Rev. Yolanda Norton had held a service with this theme. 

According to a Religion News Service article,Norton created the womanist worship service after she gave her Hebrew Bible students at San Francisco Theological Seminary an assignment to tell black women’s stories using Beyoncé’s music in a worship setting. She then developed a full liturgy that was presented at her seminary’s chapel, and later at an event that drew about 1,000 people to San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral in 2018. The service in March was the tenth and one of the songs Flaws and All, has been a staple of Beyonce Mass wherever it has been held. Norton said, the singer’s music can be sung as a prayer by women facing a range of emotions as they encounter God.

You won't be surprised to learn that there have been critics, but Norton insists that they are not worshiping Beyonce and that the worship experiences are Christian. Beyoncé does identify as a Christian and says that St. John’s United Methodist Church in Houston is her faith home. She sang “Ave Maria” on her 2008 I Am...Sasha Fierce album and there are other religious allusions in her music. In her new visual album, Black is King she certainly looks like the high priestess of something -- fashion? 

Let's be honest, in the pre-Covid days there probably hadn't been 1,000 people at a United Church service anywhere in the country for a decade or two.Most congregations feel blessed if there are 100 in attendance at the best of times.  Numbers aren't everything, but what is happening taps into a spiritual need, particularly for Black women. If worship is about opening doors and hearts, maybe this is both creative and worthwhile.I'm grateful that no one asked that Beyonce's All the Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) be played at a wedding where I presided. 

Thoughts?