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Unitarian Universalists use different terms for the words that begin a worship service, including call to worship, invocation, and opening words. These words invite the congregation from their separate lives and to the common place and time of the worship hour.

(In Unitarian Universalist worship if there are Opening Words there is generally not an Invocation, and vice versa.)

Search Words for Worship Services

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5

  • "There is a Love holding us," Rebecca Parker
    My beloved people, I cannot pretend, And so I will not tell you, That everything is okay right now. That there is no reason to be angry, That you must be optimistic Or at peace. I cannot pretend these things, And so I won't tell them to you. But now our chalice is lit, And so all I ask in this...
    Chalice Lighting | By Rev. Molly Brewer | October 10, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anger, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Love, Transcendence, Universalism
  • Be the Love
    This welcome was written for a Sunday after a national crisis. Whether you’re here because worshiping with us is part of your routine or whether you feel like our country has been stopped in its tracks and it’s impossible to return to normalcy, on this morning we gather to proclaim that we...
    Welcome | By Erika Hewitt | July 10, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Anger, Balance, Connections, Despair, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Hope, Humanism, Mourning, Pain, Purpose, Relationships, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism
  • Abdul Satar Rahimi, the Deputy Director for the Farah Provincial Council, holds his prayer beads during a ribbon cutting ceremony March 8, 2010, Farah, Afghanistan.
    "Why a flaming chalice?” the question comes. It’s the cup of life, we answer. A cup of blessings overflowing. A cup of water to quench our spirits’ thirst. A cup of wine for celebration and dedication. The flame of truth. The fire of purification. Oil for anointing, healing. Out of chaos,...
    Chalice Lighting | By Lisa Doege | January 22, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anger, Anti-Oppression, Beliefs & Principles, Brokenness, Courage, Disaster or Crisis, Healing, Oppression, Solidarity, Sorrow, Tradition, Truth
  • a flame inside of a graceful chalice, on an altar
    For this one hour, Spirit of Life we let go. For this one hour, may we let go of our anxieties, our fears, our anger, our self-doubts, our regrets, our petty grievances, and our distractions....
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Stephan Dodenhoff | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anger, Doubt, Fear, Letting Go, Peace, Presence, Regret, Reverence, Transcendence, Worry
  • BLM banner outside UU Church of Nashua
    Joy and grief Health and sickness Light and Darkness Peace and anger Life and death Wholeness and brokeness We each bring all of these here to this sanctuary of unity in diversity For this one hour of this one day And pour them out Commingling the oil of our lives To become the flame of this chal...
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Stephan Dodenhoff | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anger, Birth, Brokenness, Death, Diversity, Grief, Joy, Peace, Unity, Wholeness