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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 - 11 of 11

  • A stark angular doorway in a bright orange wall.
    Thresholds. We cross them every day. From room to room, from outside to inside, and back again, from here to there, from anywhere to everywhere, from age to age. Each threshold offers an opportunity for change, for renewal, for transformation, from what we were and what we are to what we can be....
    Opening | By Arlen Goff | January 2, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Beginnings, Change, Community, Direct Experience, Ending, Hope, Humanism, Progress, Secular, Transformation
  • A person's hands and lower arms: the hands touch at the fingertips, palms separated, pointed upwards as if in prayer.
    We light our chalice this morning in the spirit of gratitude, Thankful for years of ministerial service to this church, For celebrations of life and death, dedications, and communions, For leading worship, grounding our congregation in spiritual practice, Helping us to navigate the wonders and...
    Chalice Lighting | By Nick Wilbourn | August 3, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Ending, Gratitude, Leadership, Ministerial Transition, Ministry, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
  • Against a stark gold wall, with ornate floor tiles, a curving doorway leads into the next room.
    We call forth the life of our faith by igniting our chalice. This spark of new beginnings invites us into a sacred space to reflect where we have been and where we are going. Even knowing that this particular flame will intentionally end with our ritual extinguishing, we fear not its end… For we...
    Chalice Lighting | By Katie Sivani Gelfand | May 31, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Challenge, Courage, Direct Experience, Divorce / Separation, Earth-Centered, Ending, Fear, Humanism, Job Loss, Journey, Leaving Home, Letting Go, Life Transition, Mystery, Secular, Unitarian Universalism
  • Over a rocky ridge, the sun comes up in a golden blaze.
    As we come together, let us pause to take stock of the year now concluding: its moments of happiness and hurt, its times of accomplishment and failure, and its occasions of inspiration and fear. We add these experiences to the tapestries of our years, and look bravely towards a new horizon.
    Opening | By Paul Vachon | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Ending, Humanism, New Year, Secular, Unitarian Universalism
  • A small evergreen tree next to a bowl holding four purple candles and small gold star.
    This is the season of endings and beginnings.
    Opening | By Erika Hewitt | November 26, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Beginnings, Ending, Letting Go, New Year, Patience, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality
  • The silhouette of a person holding a lighter (with flame) against a red sky.
    Fire consumes, and casts a bright light. May our chalice flame consume our regrets for the past, our fears about the future, and our worries about today. May it light for us a path of joy and peace.
    Chalice Lighting | By Debra Burrell | November 21, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Beginnings, Direct Experience, Ending, Fear, Joy, Letting Go, New Year, Peace, Presence, Regret
  • the end of a coffin extends from a hearse, with the feet of a mourner and priest nearby
    In this hour of holy stillness we gather to honor the life and the person we love. In this hour of Holy Stillness we remind ourselves that the flames of life and love are never fully extinguished. In this hour of Holy Stillness we offer ourselves for sharing the weight of each other’s grief. In...
    Opening | By Patricia Shelden | April 13, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Animal Memorial, Death, Día de los Muertos, Ending, Grief, Healing, Holocaust Remembrance / Yom Ha'Shoah, Letting Go, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Sadness
  • a "doodle" drawing of a chalice, with designs radiating outward
    We light this chalice on the brink of a new year Letting go of what has been Open and hopeful for what may come Renewed, restored, ready To live Life fully anew May we move forward with intention. Note: this chalice lighting can be read in unison or responsively.
    Chalice Lighting | By Lois Van Leer | January 14, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Chinese New Year, Ending, Healing, Health, Hope, Letting Go, New Year, Purpose, Rosh Hashanah, Strength, Vision, Wholeness
  • A milkweed pod, split open, spills its feathery white seeds into the air
    Let go Of all that binds you Of all that burdens you Of what you carry Of all that shames you Of fear Of trespasses and transgressions Of woundedness Let go of guilt Let go of anger Let go of small mindedness and pettiness Of ways of being that no longer work for you Of compulsions that consume y...
    Opening | By Lois Van Leer | January 14, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Ending, Healing, Letting Go, New Year, Yom Kippur
  • A rose resting on a wooden casket, more flowers visible in the background
    Birth is a miracle of love and courage, bringing light into the world; Death is a loss of light, but no less an act of courage, For we are born from— and return to— mystery. Source: © Lori Gorgas Hlaban, 2009...
    Chalice Lighting | By Lori Gorgas Hlaban | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Birth, Courage, Death, Ending, Faith, Hope, Journey, Love, Mystery
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    We bid you welcome on this first Sunday of the new year. Like Janus we gather with part of us looking backward and part of us looking forward. We gather on the edge of the new year saddened by our losses, cherishing our joys, aware of our failures, mindful of days gone by....
    Opening | By Sylvia L Howe | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Change, Community, Ending, Hope, Letting Go, New Year, Unitarian Universalism