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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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  • 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
  • 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
  • A group of adults gathers, as if ending a meeting. Four people in the background smile--three standing and one sitting--as two more adults hug warmly in front of them.
    Shared ministry is all about creating the conditions for genuine and sacred connections to be made.
    Reflection | By Anonymous | May 20, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Community, Compassion, Living Our Faith, Ministry, Solidarity, Strength, Trust, Worship
  • At the Seder table, which contains the Seder plate, a cup of wine, and plates of matzah, the camera looks over the shoulder of a person who's broken a matzah in half.
    The Seder is an occasion for hospitality, one borne of having found one’s way through the wilderness.
    Opening | By Kristina Spaude | May 18, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Judaism, Passover (Pesach), Worship
  • Inside what appears to be a church sanctuary, with their backs to the camera, a multiracial group of five adults forms a warm huddle. They have their arms wrapped around each others' shoulders; one person rests their head on another's shoulder.
    Our shared ministry is making this life livable in the best and worst of times; we can only do that together.
    Reflection | By Antoinette Hollamon | May 13, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Calling, Caring, Community, Direct Experience, Leadership, Living Our Faith, Ministry, Worship
  • In the background, people are sitting in wooden church pews. In the foreground and in profile, a Black person wearing a suit jacket clasps his hands in front of him.
    The most important thing for any of us to do is to stay soft, whole-hearted, and open to the world, in all its beauty and its terror.
    Reflection | By Joy Berry | May 6, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Worship
  • On a grey couch, a Black woman reclines back, though out of focus. On her denim-clad knee, and the center of focus, is a shaggy white dog resting its head. She has one hand wrapped affectionately in the fur on the back of the dog's head.
    Care is the soil we prepare so that the roots of authentic relationship can grow.
    Reflection | By Melissa Jeter | April 29, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Animals, Body, Brokenness, Family, Healing, Love, Worship
  • The left hand of a person with brown skin is resting, palm-up, on a patch of green grass that fills the frame of the photo. A portion of a map is superimposed on the hand, but not the grass, giving the impression that the map has been drawn or tattooed on the hand.
    May this flame remind us of the connections that bind us to Unitarian Universalists around the world…
    Chalice Lighting | By Connie Simon | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Connections, Globalism, Hope, Interdependence, Love, United Nations Day, Worship
  • The Rock of Gibraltar, seen from the air, at roughly the same height as the summit. On the right we see the mountain’s steep vertical face of nearly-bare limestone, and on the left we see a 45-degree slope, mostly covered with green trees and shrubs, that leads to the summit. At the summit there are radio towers, and near the summit we see part of the ancient fortifications.
    As the world shifts beneath us, we seek steadiness…
    Opening | By Joan Javier-Duval | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Calling, Community, Faith, Justice, Nature, Strength, Truth, Wisdom, Worship
  • A small bird, with a mostly-yellow chest and blue, white, and black head, clings to a rusty vertical chain with links about one-fifth the size of the bird.
    As we extinguish our chalice, may we remember that we are links in an unbroken chain of fighters.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Tyler Boyle | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Generations, History, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Living Our Faith, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Worship
  • A small bird, with a mostly-yellow chest and blue, white, and black head, clings to a rusty vertical chain with links about one-fifth the size of the bird.
    As we light this chalice, let us remember those who came before us: our LGBTQ+ ancestors.
    Chalice Lighting | By Tyler Boyle | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Courage, Generations, Grief, History, Human Rights, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Living Our Faith, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Worship
  • A white person with black hair, wearing black pants and a dark striped top with white trim, walks a labyrinth on a beach with the ocean behind them. The labyrinth, similar but not identical to the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth, is marked out on the ground with rocks.
    We honor the great circle of Life that has brought us here and that which will continue when we are gone.
    Prayer | By Tyler Boyle | April 20, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Humility, Interdependence, Resilience, Strength, Worship
  • A lit candle in an old-fashioned candle holder sits on a table in front of a window. In the background, we see the setting sun against the horizon. A building is silhouetted against the smoky-orange sky.
    As we extinguish our chalice, may we remember the flame of life in all things…
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Irene Glasse | April 20, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Animals, Connections, Earth, Interdependence, Nature, Worship
  • Against a black background, a match held horizontally ignites. Smoke surrounds it, lit with blue light so that it is visible against the background.
    We kindle light, and with it, possibility…
    Chalice Lighting | By Irene Glasse | April 20, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Change, Growth, Imagination, Interdependence, Mystery, Transcendence, Worship
  • An abstract, fluid pattern of pale ripples dashed with vibrant cords of color: violet, gold, hot pink, etc.
    I love you because your transness is not something you overcame—it is something you are.

    Affirmation | By Jami Yandle | April 10, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Awe, Beauty, Identity, Joy, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Solidarity, Worship
  • An 18th-century colored drawing from Germany, showing an angel appearing to a sleeping shepherd. The angel is clothed in a pink robe and gold cape. The shepherd, in brown pants and a blue coat, rests his head against a stone bench.
    This is the Christmas of trumpets and trembling, of a universe tilted by a single birth, of a holiness that descends like a meteor and lands in a manger. But there is another way the story might be told…
    Homily | By Aaron Payson | April 9, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Change, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Compassion, Contemplation, Courage, Growth, Revelation, Sacred, Worship