Edit Header for Worship Holidays Search
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

Displaying 701 – 720 of 3317

Changing a filter will refresh results (and remaining options) immediately. Searching by keyword requires use of the "Search" button.

  • A view of the starry sky at night, straight up, through the silhouette of trees around the edges.
    Amidst the swirl of life's challenges, fears, and even moments of crisis, I make time to gaze at the night sky to see the vastness there, And to remember that this moment in time is but a flicker— Not an inconsequential flicker— For what I do and think now does matter. My work, though, is to let...
    Chalice Lighting | By Cindy Terlazzo | January 11, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Balance, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Integrity, Love, Wonder, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    More than relic— Living symbol: Beacon to the bewildered illuminating refuge; Light of love calling to community; Signal of sacred mission. Shine now in the world, Set being ablaze, Kindle our courage, Ignite intuition. Spark our hearts to service. Glow hope.
    Chalice Lighting | By Mary Shelden | January 9, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Worship
  • A close-up of U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis at the U.S. Capitol on June 28, 2017.
    Can you imagine what it was like to be inside of that house, afraid that it might fall all apart from the destructive force of the wind and the rain, from the whole storm?
    Time for All Ages | By Karen G. Johnston | January 7, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Interdependence, Justice, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Relationships, Worship
  • Sitting cross-legged on a bed, a person holds a guitar and appears to sing. Next to them is a musical keyboard and an open laptop.
    I experience the creative impulse as living just under the surface of the daily grind: tugging; imploring, When do we all get to sing together again?
    Reflection | By Erin J. Walter | January 6, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Arts & Music, Creativity, Direct Experience, Humanism, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Resilience, Self-Care, Worship
  • "2021" is written in the snow on a gravel surface outdoors.
    What’s the one word you hope will define your upcoming year?
    Reflection | By Tim Atkins | December 30, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Choice, Discernment, Identity, New Year, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • a child smiles up in wonder amid multiple vertical strings of light
    The stories remind us there is still and always joy in this world, but it usually comes right alongside the struggle.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | December 16, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Hope, Joy, Searching, Worship
  • A whisk and dustpan filled with dry twigs, fallen spruce needles, and broken Christmas ornaments
    This is a "love saves" story.
    Reflection | By Paul S Sawyer | December 9, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Advent, Anger, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Compassion, Direct Experience, Humanism, Living Our Faith, Love, Psychology, Relationships, Respect, Responsibility, Self-Respect, Worship
  • With white Christmas lights strung in the background, and lit candles, a paper Advent calendar on a table has open doors.
    This year, the Advent season seems particularly seized by a spirit of the expected, the longing.
    Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 2, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Advent, Children, Christianity, Hope, Living Our Faith, Parents, Purpose, Worship
  • A string of Christmas lights rests on bright pink branches of a Christmas tree that's obviously artificial.
    Make sure, both at Christmastime and in other times, that you ask for that which you really want.
    Homily | By Megan Foley | December 1, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Advent, Belief, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Discernment, Generosity, Humanism, Listening, Meaning, Secular, Worship
  • Swimmers in the waves of the sea look to a pink sky, where a murmuration of starlings forms a striking shape.
    The wilderness alongside every moment, sprawling in each direction, holds more than the silence that theologians imagine of God.
    Reflection | By Jake Morrill | November 25, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Contemplation, Death, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth-Centered, God, Imagination, Nature, Transcendence, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    May you rejoice in the unknown. May you hug uncertainty to you tight.
    Benediction | By David Breeden | November 24, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    The person who enjoys privilege always knows less about the person who lives under the weight of that privilege than the people who are actually under it.
    Quote | By Ta-Nehisi Coates | November 24, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Justice, Power, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
  • Against a blue sky, a bright red spiral of roller coaster track carries yellow cars of passengers, who are suspended upside down.
    We seek blessed assurance through pandemic chaos, relentless loss, and unimaginable stress.
    Reflection | By Taryn Strauss | November 18, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Children, Family, Humanism, Integrity, Secular, Seven Principles, 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 person in a gray shirt is doing a jigsaw puzzle, holding up a piece to someone else on a video call on a cell phone.
    It's okay to be feel weary of resiliency and wholeness and learning and growth.
    Opening | By Sharon Wylie | November 16, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Change, Community, Growth, Resilience, Self-Care, Wholeness, Worship
  • A bright gold sun on the horizon seems to rest on a person's outstretched hands, palms up,
    We are all in this together, and when bad things happen that are preventable by human means, we are all implicated.
    Reflection | By Erica Shadowsong | November 11, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Evil, Goddess, International, Worship
  • A bouquet of pink and white flowers rests on a wooden coffin, as seen from above.
    May today bring forth transformation in ourselves—from grief, healing; from memory, wholeness; and from celebration, love.
    Chalice Lighting | By Mira Mickiewicz | November 10, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Memorial Services, Remembrance Day, Worship
  • Protesters hold a Standing on the Side of Love banner outside the US Supreme Court
    To be a Unitarian Universalist means we’ll never be done with the work.
    Chalice Lighting | By Erika Hewitt | November 9, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Community, Covenant, Identity, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Seven Principles, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism, Universalism
  • Team with hands together and looking very happy
    As Unitarian Universalists, our journey is to transform the big and the small, to transform ourselves, and to transform the world.
    Responsive Reading | By Elizabeth Nguyen | November 9, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Calling, Freedom, Justice, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Seven Principles, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism, Universalism, Wholeness, Worship