Unitarian Universalists use different terms for the words that begin a worship service, including call to worshipinvocation, 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 - 8 of 8

  • Oh, divine Love, With the kindling of this flame, may we realize and love our true selves: Our true, round belly selves. Our true, bags under our eyes, selves. Our true, naturally hairy, selves. Our true, wrinkles on our skin, selves. May our self-love help keep our chalice ablaze.
    Chalice Lighting | By Cooper Garrett | May 27, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Body, Compassion, Courage, Dignity, Love, Self-Respect, Shame, Truth, Vulnerability
  • [for 2-3 voices, alternating] On this eve of mystery and magic, let us enter into the Christmas story as if we were there on the holy night. What part will we play this year? Are you the mother, trusting your body to know what to do when the time of birth comes?...
    Opening | By Shari Woodbury | January 21, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Birth, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Compassion, Dignity, Faith, Family, Hope, Hospitality, Journey, Love
  • Original version in English by Tracy Bleakney, traducción en español por Theresa Soto A child journeys far from home Fearful and brave, in need of safe harbor. Guided by this chalice, may we seek to understand the causes of flight. Like the comfort of a candle flickering in a window of darkness,...
    Chalice Lighting | By Julián Jamaica Soto , Tracy Bleakney | December 15, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Children, Compassion, Dignity, Hospitality, Humanism, Immigration, Journey, Justice, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb
  • We join our voices in a holy communion of mind and heart, dedicated to the promises that bind us in compassion, one with another. In this hour we light the flame that signals our intention to find the sacred in every living thing.
    Chalice Lighting | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Compassion, Covenant, Dignity, Healing, Immanence, Inclusion, Reverence, Sacred, WorshipWeb
  • We light this chalice to celebrate the inherent worth and dignity of every person; To reaffirm the historic pledge of liberal religion to seek that justice which transcends mere legality and moves toward the resolution of true equality; And to share that love which is ultimately beyond even our...
    Chalice Lighting | By Steve Stock | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 6th Principle (World Community), Anti-Oppression, Community, Dignity, Equity, Justice, Love, Mystery, Purpose, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism, Worth
  • In these hard times, let us look first to the response of love. In the midst of challenge, may our chalice flame bear witness to the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. In the midst of uncertainty, may our chalice be a beacon of encouragement, that our values may guide our choices....
    Chalice Lighting | By Maureen Killoran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Challenge, Choice, Courage, Dignity, Integrity, Love, Reverence, Searching, Unitarian Universalism, Vision, Worth
  • May we light this chalice to honor our past: for Jan Hus, burned at the stake for suggesting that the cup be shared by all; for our Service Committee's earliest days, when its logo enabled the persecuted to find a safe haven. May we light this chalice to endorse our present: for our commitment to...
    Chalice Lighting | By George G Brooks | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Commitment, Dignity, Freedom, Generations, History, Justice, Partner Church Observation, Relationships, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarianism, Vision
  • In memory of all the flames that didn't die— in the midst of darkness, in spite of the darkness, we light this flame today. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5 NRSV)...
    Chalice Lighting | By Amarette Callaway | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Commitment, Courage, Dignity, History, Hope, Journey, Meaning, Power, Service, Strength