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An unlit chalice on a church altar

Unitarian Universalists honor and celebrate a wide range of holidays and occasions over the course of a year. Unlike other faith traditions that use a single lectionary (a collection of scripture readings appointed for a given day or occasion), the topics and themes for Unitarian Universalist worship services are usually chosen independently by worship leaders in congregations. These include unique UU traditions, like the Flower Ceremony, as well as holidays from other faith traditions, such as Christmas or Beltane.

View and download the 2023-24 UUA Worship Calendar (PDF), which includes faith-based and secular holidays that UU congregations often celebrate. The calendar also includes monthly worship themes used in popular theme-based ministry programs. To download or print, follow the link and use the File menu, then select the Landscape layout option.

LEADER RESOURCE 2 Rituals to Welcome a New Child
a medieval window from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, depicting the Nativity
Islamic prayer beads or Subha inside the Süleymaniye Moque (Istanbul).
An altar filled with candles, photos, and flowers

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  • A black-and-white photo of a couple, limbs intertwined, on a couch. They're gazing into each other's eyes.
    May we dare to dream and choose to live in freedom.
    Reflection | By Pat Uribe-Lichty | June 3, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Worship
  • In a forest, a brown bear sits upright with its back against a tree trunk. The bear's face is in profile, and (if the viewer were anthropomorphizing) appears to be smiling.
    Just like the bear in spring, we are awakened and renewed.
    Time for All Ages | By Carol Zimmerman | May 29, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Earth-Centered, Imagination, Spring, Vernal Equinox, Worship
  • A rough, muddy dirt road, with dense trees and bushes on either side.
    Our interconnectedness calls us to care for others even when it is difficult for ourselves.
    Chalice Lighting | By Matthew Esko | May 28, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Connections, Interdependence, Resilience, Sacrifice, Worship
  • A close-up of a loaf of bread held in a white person’s hands in a position of offering. The loaf is a round boule with indentations on the top in a large X shape, and is resting on a tea towel in the person’s hands. Behind the loaf, we see the blurry blue-shirted torso of the person who is holding the bread.
    We give our surplus not out of fear of divine punishment nor for a transaction of prosperity. We give what we can, when we can, because when we do so, we build a more just world.
    Offering | By Laura McGuire | May 28, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Community, Generosity, Gratitude, Interdependence, Justice, Living Our Faith, Worship
  • A single leafless birch tree stands in a snowy landscape of rolling hills.
    …There’s a magic to snow that is undeniable. Not just its beauty, which is real, or the way it reflects back to us light or the potential for joy…
    Reading | By Kristina Spaude | May 28, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Beauty, Contemplation, Nature, Patience, Reverence, Silence, Solitude, Winter, Worship
  • A photo that looks like an abstract composition, showing yellowish fibers loosely woven together in a three-dimensional pattern. Towards the right side of the images, the fibers shift colors to blues and greens.
    We come together here to remember how we are called: to put our hands and our hearts to sacred work that we did not begin and will not complete.
    Prayer | By Joy Berry | May 28, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anger, Creativity, Faith, Grace, Grief, Hope, Interdependence, Wholeness, Work, Worship
  • A candleholder in the shape of a lotus flower, with translucent petals in metal frames, holds a lit votive candle. The candleholder is on a rough-hewn table of brown wood, near a brass bowl and some other objects that are too out-of-focus to identify.
    Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.
    Quote | By Joseph Campbell | May 28, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Calling, Growth, Identity, Integrity, Joy, Sacred, Worship
  • A close-up of part of a store display of gift cards. In front of a white backing labeled “Gift Cards” we see a variety of gift cards from a number of companies, ranging in value from $25 to $500.
    This week, our beloved community brushed up against the shadows of this world. Against individuals who wished to cause harm and chaos in the lives of others without reason or cause.
    Blessing | May 28, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Empathy, Evil, Forgiveness, Greed, Interdependence, Redemption, Trust, Violence, Wholeness, Worship
  • An older male Anglican priest in a black robe and white stole stands in a church sanctuary. We see him in three-quarter view from the front, and he is smiling and looking upwards and to the right.
    The word “emerit” is a gender-neutral alternative for the gendered terms “emeritus” and “emerita.” This article discusses the word and encourages its use.
    Reference | May 27, 2026 | From WorshipLab
    Tagged as: Gender, Gender Justice, Ministerial Transition, Sexism/Gender-Based Oppression
  • A close-up of two people sitting across from each other. One person is wearing camouflage pants, with a camo hat sitting next to him. His hands are being held by another person's hands, whose cuffs appear to be a brown uniform.
    Everyone deserves a chance to feel welcome and accepted.
    Reflection | May 27, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Humility, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Memorial Day, Military, Ministry, Presence, Pride Sunday, Worship
  • People sitting in the wooden pews of a church with sunlight streaming in through the windows. Our vantage point is from the rear pews, with some empty pews between us and the majority of people.
    We go forward not alone, but as companions in covenant, tending to the common good with hope, with humor, and with heart.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Craig Rowland | May 25, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Community, Connections, Leadership, Living Our Faith, Relationships, Work
  • People sitting in the wooden pews of a church with sunlight streaming in through the windows. Our vantage point is from the rear pews, with some empty pews between us and the majority of people.
    May the flame we kindle now remind us: Even in mundane motions and messy amendments, there is the quiet courage of community.
    Chalice Lighting | By Craig Rowland | May 25, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Community, Connections, Interdependence, Joy, Leadership, Living Our Faith, Meaning, Relationships, Work, Worship
  • Progress pride flags on a row of flagpoles.
    We honor the multiplicity of genders, and with great audacity we keep going, in spite of violence against our bodies, in spite of loss of life.
    Affirmation | By Kaiyote | May 22, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Activism, Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Community, Grief, Healing, History, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Rights, Strength, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Worship
  • The view looking out from inside a cave. There are tall deciduous trees and a cliff wall outside, and the rocky ground is covered with shrubs and moss. Inside the cave, barely visible in the foreground, are the silhouettes of four people.
    o green prayers, find me here as i listen wordless in earth’s touchable liminal body…
    Poetry, Prayer, Reading | By Jennifer Pratt-Walter | May 22, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Beauty, Earth, Immanence, Nature, Sacred, Worship
  • A black-and-white photo of an older adult and a young child, seen from behind, walking hand-in-hand on a plaza in front of an old stone building. The adult is wearing a puffy jacket and the child is wearing a coat with a hood.
    The warmth of this community flows among the generations, where all are learners and all are teachers.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Tracy Breneman | May 22, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Aging, Children, Community, Education, Generations, Living Our Faith, Love, Worship
  • Two light-skinned hands, cupped in a gesture of offering, hold a small yellow daisy-like flower out toward the viewer. Out of focus behind the hands we see the arms and yellow shirt of the person holding out the flower.
    What gifts shall we bring to share our love for one another?
    Offering | By Fred L Hammond | May 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Caring, Community, Compassion, Courage, Generosity, Grief, Hope, Love, Worship
  • The sun setting in an orange sky, seen from a low angle in tall grass. The grass, mostly silhouetted, is in focus, while the sun is blurred behind it.
    Embrace the darkness unfolding dreams, nurturing life under ground, in the womb, in the dark warmth of loving arms.…
    Meditation | By Daniel S. Schatz | May 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Beauty, Earth, Hope, Nature, Summer, Summer Solstice, Wonder, Worship
  • A straw bird nest with half a dozen white eggs in it, in a very dark space. Most of the photo is deep black. A few eggs are very well lit, more are in shadow, and the nest itself is barely visible.
    The seedling that comes forth, the bird emerging from its egg, the planet spinning through space: They all come from the darkness…
    Chalice Lighting | By Otto Concannon | May 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Beginnings, Journey, Nature, Worship
  • A large black toolbox sits on a wooden floor. It is partially open, and inside there are a few tools together with two oranges, a large floral mug and a box of teabags, a deck of playing cards, a wooden chalice with an electric tea light in it, and a greeting card with a nature scene and a nice pen.
    Instructions for a Time for All Ages that focuses on tools we can use to care for others and ourselves.
    Time for All Ages | By Carter Smith | May 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Altar Buiding, Animals, Caring, Connections, Friendship, Interdependence, Self-Care, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • Bouquets of flowers placed at the base of a stone wall as an impromptu memorial on the tenth anniversary of terrorist attacks in Paris. A black-and-white sign saying “Peace Now,” with a stylized dove and olive branch, is posted on the wall, next to a note in French on yellow paper expressing grief on the anniversary.
    May we, in all of our living, move with a spirit of peace, so that we may be an agent of peace for all who encounter us.
    Prayer | By Carter Smith | May 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Death, Grief, Interdependence, Love, Peace, Responsibility, War, Work, Worship