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

Search Words for Worship Services

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Displaying 61 - 80 of 1057

  • Let us imagine washing the feet of someone who has wronged us. Their feet, too, are calloused and muddy from the road.
    Responsive Reading | By Patty Willis | October 3, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Christianity, Compassion, Easter, Empathy, Ministry, Service, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • I wasn’t really “born this way.” I grew this way.
    Reflection | By Heather McDuffee | September 28, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #Pride, Choice, Coming Out, Friendship, God, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Marriage, National Coming Out Day, Transformation, Trust, Worship
  • Coming out is vulnerable, intimate, and holy.
    Homily | By Heather McDuffee | September 27, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #Pride, Acceptance, Christianity, Coming Out, Courage, Direct Experience, Family, Friendship, God, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, National Coming Out Day, Transformation, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Breathe in us, with us, and through us as we gather—one in community.
    Invocation | By Kristin Grassel Schmidt | September 22, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Earth-Centered, Judaism, Nature, Rosh Hashanah, Unity, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • I rise on the shoulders of ancestors whose names I can not know.
    Reflection | By Glen Thomas Rideout | September 14, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackHistoryMonth, #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, History, Oppression, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Self-Respect, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • There is no such thing as unskilled labor.
    Reflection | By Sarah Skochko | August 31, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), America, Compassion, Dignity, Human Rights, Humanism, Labor Day, Secular, Work, Worship
  • Beneath the snow, life is bursting, preparing for the next season.
    Meditation | By Sharon Delgadillo | August 24, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Change, Earth, Earth-Centered, Humanism, Imagination, Nature, Secular, Spring, Vernal Equinox, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Can we find space for lifting our heads in wonder—that we’re still striving, still trying together
    Chalice Lighting | By Li Kynvi | August 10, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Commitment, Community, Faith, Hope, Identity, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • May we open our hearts to the abundance of creation.
    Prayer | By Vanessa Rush Southern, Alyson Jacks | August 8, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Connections, Earth Day, Easter, Hope, Joy, Vernal Equinox, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We have a holy obligation to bring about paradise on this earth; each generation helps us do that.
    Reflection | By Nathan Ryan | June 15, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Children, Father's Day, Fathers, Generations, Hope, Mothers, Parents, Purpose, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • We bless today all the masculinities with us and within us.
    Blessing | By Kye Flannery | June 9, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Father's Day, Fathers, Freedom, Gender, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Men, Transformation, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We are an angry and beautiful people.
    Reflection | By Laura Solomon | June 1, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Connections, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Humanism, Love, Suffering, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • We scatter these remains to the earth returning creation unto itself.
    Ritual | By Marian Stewart | May 28, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Death, Memorial Services, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Hold us gently as we gather closer together, comforting each other, healing each other.
    Prayer | By Vanessa Titang | May 26, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Disaster or Crisis, Transcendence, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • There’s never been a time in the United States history when black rebellions did not spark existential fear among white people.
    Reading | By Michelle Alexander, Leslie Alexander | May 12, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), America, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Freedom, History, Juneteenth, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • May we reconnect to our life-giving, breath-freeing connection
    Prayer | By Leslie Takahashi | May 1, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Climate Justice, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Responsibility, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • You can crush Love down, bury it, cover it over, but it will rise.
    Reflection | By Molly Housh Gordon | April 6, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Christianity, Community, Easter, Love, Mystery, Purpose, Worship
  • New lyrics for #358 to correct its original ableism.
    Music | By Kendyl L. R. Gibbons, Cynthia Landrum | March 30, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Arts & Music, Installations, Ministerial Transition, Ordinations, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Out of mystery we are born, and mystery receives us when we die.
    Blessing | By Michelle Buhite | March 24, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Character, Death, Ending, Memorial Services, Mystery, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Water sustains, gives, and yields to / Life.
    Reading | By Melissa Jeter | March 24, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Earth, Earth-Centered, Imagination, Nature, Water Communion, WorshipWeb, Worship