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.
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We pause now on the edge of the New Year— An artificial beginning to be sure—but still a time to reflect. Like Janus, the god for whom January was named, we glance back at past joys and sorrows That what has past can guide us Toward what is yet to be. Let us reflect for a moment on some of the...Ritual | By Joan Kahn-Schneider | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Letting Go, Life Transition
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Introduction to a New Orleans Jazz Funeral Welcome to a new tradition for our church—a New Orleans-style jazz funeral for the old year. This service offers opportunities for reflection on the past year, a chance to “bury” whatever that was negative or hurtful to us in 20xx, and looks forward...Ritual | By Melanie Morel-Ensminger | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Hope, Letting Go, Memorial Services, Mourning, Multiculturalism, Remembrance Day, Wholeness, Multiculturalism
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T... starts out with Turkey and with Tofu, and Together, H...reminds us of Happiness, may it grow beyond all measure. A...means All who are returning, a reunion in Fall, N...for Newcomers to our Fellowship, and hearty welcome to all! K...for Kind friends with whom we will share dinner, S... means...Chalice Lighting | By Maureen Killoran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Community, Fall, Food, Gratitude, Happiness, Integrity, Playfulness, Relationships, Thanksgiving, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism -
‘Tis the Season . . . of advertisers run amok and ambitions amplified beyond belief . . . of Martha Stewart moments mixed with desert island dreams . . . when even the most dedicated holiday-hopper admits perfection isn’t possible and “good enough” is how the season ought to be. ‘Tis the...Meditation | By Maureen Killoran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Advent, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Prayer Practices
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It was December. I was in a new school in a new place and there were new teachers and new classmates. And we were living in a new house too. Also there was no snow in Florida. That was a lot of new things at once. I didn’t like it. At least I had my bicycle—it was my old bicycle so it wasn’t...Story | By Orlanda R Brugnola | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Generosity, Home, Joy, Parents
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Spirit of Life, hold us in our pain and comfort us in our grief. Our grief feels boundless; our rage eats at us. We feel pain for all the wild creatures of the Gulf and the wetlands....Meditation | By Melanie Morel-Ensminger | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Earth, Environment, Grief, Secular, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness
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Why Christmas? Especially to one who doubts? Are you not being hypocritical? Unitarian Universalists, with their penchant for secular humanism are fond of arguing the validity of Christmas: Is it a Christian holiday? A pagan holiday? A secular holiday?...Opening | By Lenny Scovel | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas
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Leonard Cohen sings to us there’s “a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” I believe this is one of the most important insights we can have. And so, today I want to talk about that crack, that wound we each have. Today let’s reflect a little about something perhaps a bit...Sermon | By James Ishmael Ford | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Justice, Spiritual Practice, Wholeness, Yom Kippur
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Once more the year's turned round. We've come full circle on this small planet, Spinning down the grooves of change, Another revolution completed around the sun. Another year older ... Another set of rings on the tree ... As seasons parade in endless procession The people's troubles and prayers...Meditation | By Gary Kowalski | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Hope, Immanence, Revelation, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder
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We are five days away from what is has come to be traditionally celebrated as the birth of Jesus of Nazareth....Sermon | By David A Miller | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Advent, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Generosity, Grace, New Child, Revelation, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
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Would you please join me in the spirit of prayer and meditation? Dear Gods and Goddesses, Spirit of Life & Love, Bless us on this beautiful southern California winter day as we celebrate and honor the darkness of the season as a time for us to reflect, look inward, and nourish and replenish our...Meditation | By Sara Eileen LaWall | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Earth-Centered, Generosity, Joy, Winter Solstice / Yule
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Please join me in the spirit of prayer followed by a full minute of meditative silence Gods and Goddesses of darkness and light, Spirit of life and love: We come together on this sacred night to awaken ourselves to the joy of Christmas To the miracles of life The birth of a baby The rise of the s...Meditation | By Sara Eileen LaWall | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Immanence, Mystery, New Child, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Sacred, Wonder
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It starts with a drop, Then a trickle... A burble, a rush of water, bubbling toward its destination; And finally the wide, endless sea. All rivers run to the sea. Today you brought water Poured it into a common bowl. Though our experiences have differed, These waters mingle, signifying our common...Closing | By Kayle Rice | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Unity, Water Communion -
Please speak the response when you hear: "...this season brings forth many feelings" Response: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together All around us are bright lights and merry messages Yet in our heart not all is joyful There is grief with the loss of...Reading | By Debra Faulk | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas, Despair, Grief, Pain, Peace, Sorrow -
Once there was and once there was not a family of dogs. Like many dog families, there were dogs that had wandered off the street and dogs with fine pedigrees and dogs from the shelter and dogs who had been born into the family. They ran together. They played together....Story | By Naomi King | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Thanksgiving
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Once there was and once there was not a town on the edge of the swamp in the sultry summer weather of far south Florida, between the alligators and the ocean. In this town there were two amazing friends, Sam and Joseph. They were a lot alike. They liked the same foods. They liked the same books.Story | By Naomi King | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Family, Imagination, Life Transition, Playfulness, Revelation, Secular
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Many Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations follow an annual Ingathering tradition on the first Sunday after Labor Day that includes a Water Communion/Ceremony ritual. Specific traditions vary widely, but often they include introductory remarks, a time for reflection, a sharing of water that...Ritual | By Eric Cherry | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Connections, Earth, Globalism, Homecoming / Ingathering, Interdependence, International, Nature, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion
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Note: This ritual involves writing grievances on a piece of paper and casting them into a flame. All our lives we have been told to seek that which is good, to turn our faces from the dark and toward the light, toward beauty, toward truth. But the truth is that the world is not always good. The...Ritual | By Jay E Abernathy, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Brokenness, Forgiveness, Letting Go, Vulnerability, Wholeness, Yom Kippur
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We come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some of us grow in bunches. Some of us grow alone. Some of us are cupped inward, And some of us spread ourselves out wide. Some of us are old and dried and tougher than we appear. Some of us are still in bud....Opening | By Thomas Rhodes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beauty, Diversity, Earth, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, Humanism, Imagination, Nature, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
To be shared after the flowers have been distributed... Within our hands we hold the resurrection of the world. Transient and imperfect, these blossoms are still gifts of infinite value. Like ourselves. Too often we seek permanence and perfection. Resisting change, blind to our shortcomings, We...Meditation | By Thomas Rhodes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Flower Communion, Humility, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
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About The Author: The author self-identifies as Afircan American and psychology professional. Frequently I am asked, ‘Why should the UUA [Unitarian Universalist Association] spend money, time, and resources on racial and cultural diversity?’ I sometimes feel burdened with the expectation that I...Reading | By Anonymous | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), All Saints Day, Anti-Oppression, Diversity, Identity, Justice Sunday, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness, Multiculturalism
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When I was in third grade at Evergreen School in Plainfield, NJ, my best friend was John Carvana. At 8 years old, I was awkward physically and socially, and I was drawn to John’s intelligence and easy grace. The friendships of young boys are less about whispered secrets than about hanging out and...Sermon | By Fred Small | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Anti-Oppression, Diversity, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness, Multiculturalism
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You Birds of the Air, Hawk, Sparrow, and laughing Jay You embody freedom itself, delight us with your song, astound us with feats of migration Grant us your perspective, for too often our horizon is limited and we are blind to the full results of our actions....Meditation | By Thomas Rhodes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Saints Day, Animal Blessing, Animals, Connections, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Humility, Love, Nature, Relationships -
Minister: The life of our religious community is fluid, ever changing with new lives, new visions, new possibilities and new ministries. [Length of time] ago we welcomed our intern minister, [Name]. And we have been changed....Ritual | By Kayle Rice | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Ending, Gratitude, Letting Go, Ministerial Transition, Service, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
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My father asked if I am gay I asked Does it matter? He said, No not really I said, Yes. He said get out of my life. I guess it mattered. My friend asked why I talk about race so much? I asked, Does it matter? He said, No not really I told him, Yes. He said, You need to get that chip off your...Reading | By Mark Hicks | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Coming Out, Direct Experience, Disability, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Vulnerability, Youth Sunday, Anti-Oppression
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Frances, an African American woman: To be African-American in this country is to face racism throughout life, however subtle. The love of one’s family is paramount in reducing the damage of racism on one’s wholeness. Unitarian Universalism is splendid as an affirming church family. Its primary...Reading | By Mark Hicks | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Diversity, Kwanzaa, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism, Multiculturalism
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"Christ is born! Alleluia!" "Only ten shopping days until Christmas!" We lament tying one to the other, but this is not naked materialism. There is religion in the ribbons. A wintry night. A tiny baby, a cattle stall, a bed in the hay, two thousand years ago. From hundreds of miles Kings come to...Reading | By Ken Nye | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas
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The tree is all set Packages piled at its base. Telephone calls from the kids confirming the times of dinner and church. Nothing much left to do. The Fed Ex guy just delivered the last late order. I'll wrap it, and then what? Time on my hands. Time to think. What is this all about? Christmas is...Reading | By Ken Nye | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas
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Note: Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2016 begins in the evening of Wednesday, May 4 and ends in the evening of Thursday, May 5. This week holds the annual observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom Hashoah. Jewish communities prefer not to call the dreadful events of the 1930's and...Ritual | By Mary Wellemeyer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Grief, Holocaust Remembrance / Yom Ha'Shoah, Hope, Human Rights, Judaism, Responsibility, Suffering
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My dad died 28 years ago. I still have some of his things: A red plaid Pendleton bath robe. (I look like Dad in that thing now.) An old Sears table saw bought used in 1950. I still use it, (but for rough cuts only). An old grinding wheel, noisy as sin, but sharpens mower blades in no time....Reading | By Ken Nye | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Generations, History, Integrity, Parents
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Let us join in the spirit of prayer and meditation. We are each different. Some of us are bigger and others are smaller. Some of us are taller and others are shorter. Our hair is different colors and our eyes are different shapes....Meditation | By Axel H Gehrmann | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Children's Sabbath, Community, Direct Experience, Diversity, Inclusion, Unity
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On the cusp of this new day in our nation’s history, seems like everyone has something to say. I have been deluged with emails from the various groups I try to pay attention to: Planned Parenthood, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture,...Sermon | By Melissa Carvill-Ziemer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Identity, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Unity
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ALL: Today we honor the youth among us You who are stepping beyond and away and toward Today we share in your journey And encourage your discovery Young Adults (18-35): Today we welcome your energy And offer you a safe place to grow Today we celebrate your hopes and dreams Come live, breathe, thr...Ritual | By Jaynn Truran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Bridging Ceremony, Children, Choice, Direct Experience, Ending, Friendship, Generations, Growth, Letting Go, Power, Youth/Teens
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In prayer, we call to mind the peacemakers.Meditation | By Eric Cherry | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Compassion, Courage, Despair, Disaster or Crisis, Faith, Fear, Healing, History, International, Nonviolence, Peace, War -
The Good Fridays of our lives come unbidden and unexpected Bringing the winter of despair and the death of dreams and hope Only love has the power to mend what has been broken A love that brings healing to our wounds A love that offers hope when we have none A love that creates unity where there ...Closing | By Andrew Pakula | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Good Friday -
Holy waters.... holy waters... holy waters... holy waters Holy waters, make us new. Holy waters, make us whole. Holy waters, make us free.Music | By Jason Shelton | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Sacred, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion, Wholeness -
Lighting a candle is somewhat like the beginning of life. If that is true, then perhaps extinguishing a candle is like the ending of life. But death may not be the end of us. We live on in the memories of friends and loved ones....Chalice Extinguishing | By Lee Huebert | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Souls Day, Death, Día de los Muertos, Letting Go, Memorial Services, Mystery, Purpose, Remembrance Day, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder
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As we bring to a close our tribute to the journey we have made through the years, let us be mindful of the enduring bond that keeps us together. Let us remember those who went before and paved the road for us to travel....Closing | By Priscilla Murdock | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Building/Space Dedication, Business Meetings, Commitment, Connections, History, Meaning, Purpose
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I was working with a group of young people at a Safe Schools conference in Boston. They were discussing how to tell their parents they were gay or lesbian. Many of them had suffered harassment, brutality, and ostracism by their peers, and they worried about how to protect their parents from the...Reading | By Elizabeth Tarbox | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Family, Good Friday, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Unitarian Universalism
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Once upon a time, a girl named Ramona and a boy named Roberto had a wonderful dog. They named the dog Feliz because he was so happy when they came home from school each day. He bounded toward them, barking and tail wagging madly. His sandy brown coat was sort of wavy around the shoulders but...Reading | By Heather Lynn Hanson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Easter, Good Friday, Grief, Love
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Blessed are the heavens, for they declare the power of creation. Blessed is the earth, our beloved home, for she is a planet of plenitude. Blessed are the waters thereon, for they gave rise to living things. Blessed is the land, for it is the source of life abundant....Reading | By Richard S. Gilbert | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Earth Day, Nature
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ALL: We come together as a living church. WORSHIP LEADER: We come together from different places as unique individuals. Our paths and the ways of our going are diverse, yet we share our journey....Responsive Reading | By Ruth E Gibson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Commitment, Community, Homecoming / Ingathering, Leadership, Parents, Teacher Dedication, Teacher Recognition, Unitarian Universalism
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(From the East:) Brothers and sisters in creation, we covenant this day with you and with All creation yet to be; With every living creature and All that contains and sustains you; With All that is on the earth and with the earth itself; With All that lives in the waters and with the waters...Reading | By Sydney A Morris | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Earth Day, Paganism
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May means Mother’s Day. I’m going to trust Hallmark and daddies and six year-olds and grown-up kids who are mommies themselves to honor the mothers among us as they deserve to be honored—with brass bands, flags flying, breakfast in bed (and kitchens cleaned up afterwards). I wish for those...Reading | By Katie Lee Crane | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Family, Fathers, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents -
[Note: We have a tradition of asking each person to bring to church on Mother’s Day a single flower—colored if she is still living, white if she has died. The flowers are arranged on the spot into a bouquet and brought into the service just before the Call to Worship. With a bow to Max Coots for...Ritual | By Judy Welles | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Mother's Day
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(Tea lights are set up in groups of 50 on either side of the chancel in this ritual borrowed from Soulful Sundown.) The long Summer has faded, now, and these first days of November mark the beginning of the coming of Winter....Reading | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Souls Day, Community, Connections, Día de los Muertos, Family, Grief, Halloween, Letting Go, Relationships, Samhain -
I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit skittish about holidays that seem to have originated with the greeting card people. That's not true, in fact, of Mother's Day....Ritual | By Barbara Child | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, Reconciliation
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The Wedding blessing is to be used with a wedding ritual of pouring water from two vessels into a common vessel, as an alternative to a unity candle....Ritual | By Tess Baumberger | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Commitment, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Unitarian Universalism, Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies, Wisdom
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We wish for you a storm or two that you may enjoy the calm. We wish for you tranquility in time of trial. We wish you a cool breeze on a warm day, and pale white clouds that you may better appreciate the blueness of the sky. We wish you darkness that you may see the stars....Prayer | By Robert F Kaufmann | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Bridging Ceremony, Child Dedication, Children, Children's Sabbath, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Nature, New Child, Parents, Seven Principles, Unitarianism -
Minister: Surrounded by the animals we love, we remember with gratitude the pets, protectors, and animal companions who have blessed our lives. People: We give thanks for our childhood pets, who taught us to love and to cry. We give thanks for our children's pets, who help us to teach them...Responsive Reading | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Caring, Children, Direct Experience, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism