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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

Search Words for Worship Services

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 96

  • A frozen soap bubble rests on snowy ground, with the sun setting on the horizon in the background.
    As we repent in full body and form, secure our names and the generations to come as you have done through time. God who blessed the womb of life, save us once again.
    Prayer | By Julie Yeeun Kim | January 21, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Christianity, Faith, Generations, Interdependence, Patience, Redemption, Salvation, Wisdom, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Through a thick forest, a reindeer peeks out at the camera
    Spirits of winter, I celebrate you!
    Reflection | By Erica Shadowsong | December 13, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Animals, Earth-Centered, Generations, Goddess, Imagination, Spiritual Practice, Winter, Winter Solstice / Yule, Worship
  • Black and white photo of the face of an older white woman, who looks like she is suppressing a smile.
    We are the recipients of an incredible gift and a beautiful vision.
    Offering | By Alice Anacheka-Nasemann | December 12, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: All Souls Day, Building/Space Dedication, Canvass/Pledge, Commitment, Generations, Gratitude, History, Homecoming / Ingathering, Humanism, Leadership, New Member Ceremony, Samhain, Vision, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    In our lived lives, family comes in different shapes and sizes and constellations.It is in this variety—this diversity—that our lives are made fuller and our individual selves made more whole. It is in this variety, it is in this diversity, that we look back to the ancestors, recognizing no...
    Reading | By Karen G. Johnston | August 17, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Family, Generations, Integrity, Love, Memorial Services, Truth, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • From above, a cross-section of a large, old oak stump--with all of its rings--and an oak sapling growing out of its center.
    I don’t know exactly when it happened, but something began to change.
    Reading | By Tess Baumberger | March 13, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Aging, Caring, Change, Coming-of-Age, Direct Experience, Generations, Humanism, Life Transition, Secular, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Seen from the chest up, a side view of three generations: a Black son, father, and grandfather standing side by side.
    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
  • Against a sunset, an adult holds up a child with their arms outflung joyfully
    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
  • Berrien UU Fellowship Board meeting
    We tend the spark of imagination and hope for the world to come.
    Chalice Lighting | By Rachael Hayes | February 25, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Discernment, Generations, Humanism, Leadership, Purpose, Stewardship, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A hand holds a slide up to the light, on which is a dated image of a woman and man posing outside.
    Sometimes it feels like Father’s Day is more about enshrining a myth than it is about facing the realities of fatherhood.
    Meditation | By Ryan Urie | July 26, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Children, Direct Experience, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Generations, History, Parents, Secular, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A black-and-white photo of an infant, whose hand is holding the gnarled hand of his great-grandmother.
    Breathe in for caregivers of all kinds who give of themselves to make other people’s lives better, more whole.
    Prayer | By Sara Goodman | June 2, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Family, Generations, Grief, Imagination, Mother's Day, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism
  • A black man in a dark space looks sideways into the camera. Across his face, in colored light, the letters A G C T represent DNA nucleotides.
    I've adopted the practice of spiritual reconnection with my ancestors to heal intergenerational trauma.
    Reflection | By Jabari S. Jones | February 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Diversity, Generations, Healing, History, International, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Transformation, Trauma, Worship
  • A U.S. flag and a pair of hands intrude into a picture of bubbles against an evergreen tree
    The soul of America has yet to be born.
    Reading | By Peggy Clarke | November 16, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), America, Democracy, Generations, History, Humanism, Indigenous Peoples Day, July 4th, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular
  • A line of framed family photos, all on a surface, some out of focus
    Let us honor our ancestors by doing the work of living boldly, loving mightily, and creating heaven on earth.
    Benediction | By Leia Durland-Jones | November 16, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: All Souls Day, Family, Generations, History, Memorial Services
  • A black parent embraces their child, who is smiling in to the camera
    One day, I’ll have to care for my mother as she once cared for me. I’m not ready to handle the truth that our relationship must change.
    Reflection | By Erica Shadowsong | September 9, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Caring, Child Dedication, Children, Coming of Age, Coming-of-Age, Direct Experience, Fear, Generations, Growth, Humanism, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, Secular, Worship
  • In a sea of protestors wearing black, a person holds a sign reading "Black trans lives matter."
    May we all remember how inextricably we are linked in this fight for justice and freedom.
    Reflection | By Otto O’Connor | June 10, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Direct Experience, Generations, History, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Race/Ethnicity, Responsibility, Secular, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism
  • From above, an artful arrangement of tulips, a Hebrew prayer book, matzoh, egg, and cup of wine.
    In ancient times, they said Dayenu It would have been enough to have been spared after the plagues. It would have been enough to have been freed of slavery, It would have been enough to have had food in the desert, Now we question, when will it be enough again? Dayenu Will it be enough to stay home?
    Opening | By Elizabeth Mount | April 6, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Generations, History, Judaism, Passover (Pesach), Tradition
  • A pitcher of flowers rests on the windowsill inside a room reseembling a chapel
    This story is great to be acted out by four women (of applicable ages for each direction) around a large bowl/vessel....
    Story | By Katie Sivani Gelfand | January 7, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Generations, Imagination, Listening, Nature, Sacred, Spirituality, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion, Women
  • In front of a decorated mantle (with stockings), a Santa Claus is seen from the side.
    With a single generous gesture from my older child, her sister's belief in Santa stayed intact that year.
    Reflection | By Karen G. Johnston | December 4, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Generosity, Parents, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Tradition
  • A full moon rises behind the silhouette of trees
    As we kindle this the flame, we honor and remember Those who have passed into the mystery. Their brightness lives on in our vision; their courage lives on in our commitments; and their love continues to bless the world through us.
    Chalice Lighting | By Florence Caplow | October 31, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Connections, Death, Generations, History, Humanism, Mystery, Samhain
  • A spiral of rainbow-spectrum light
    Voice 1 Welcome, you who approach this time as a journey toward the horizon, the beginning of the next chapter, seeking all of the insights and opportunities the new day offers....
    Invocation | By Lyn Cox | October 25, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Generations, History, Paganism, Prophetic Words & Deeds