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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

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  • A white person’s hand with its fingers dipping into shallow water, with sand and rocks beneath.
    A water communion liturgy that asks that we listen for God’s voice in the waters.
    Ritual | By M Jade Kaiser | August 28, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Earth, Earth Day, Environment, Interdependence, Nature, Responsibility, Reverence, Water Communion, Worship
  • Two children in silhouette against a dark, stormy sky. The children are facing one another, and the taller one holds an umbrella over them both.
    You are now holding in your heart a precious commodity. Someone trusted you with what was irking them, what brought them joy, what enraged them, what frightened them, what moved them, or simply, what is.
    Benediction | By Rumni Saha | August 21, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community Ministry Sunday, Ministerial Transition, Ministry, Worship
  • An egret takes flight from marshland near still water. The bird’s reflection is visible.
    Give thanks for all the waters that be—for bays and gulfs and shining seas!
    Responsive Reading | By Patricia Montley | August 20, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Earth, Environment, Interdependence, Nature, Water Communion, Worship
  • A brown and yellow butterfly sits on a leaf, with other similar leaves in the background. The color is adjusted so the leaves are sepia-toned, so the butterfly stands out.
    To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
    Reading | By Howard Zinn | August 1, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Activism, Compassion, Courage, Democracy, History, Hope, Kindness, Progress, Worship
  • A tree trunk rising out of leaf-covered ground. Further behind, we see a small stand of similar trees, and beyond that there is a lake.
    We honor all our beloved dead whose bodies have returned to the earth, the earth that is our home. We honor their lives which shaped our own. We honor their love, which is beyond death. We honor their teachings, which teach us still.
    Litany | By Elizabeth Bukey Saunter | August 1, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Death, Earth, Interdependence, Memorial Services, Mystery, Nature, Worship
  • Four people celebrating with arms raised, seen in silhouette against the sky. The sun is centered behind them, and the sky’s colors range from blue to pink.
    We are whole and holy; we are loved beyond all measure. And in our refusal to accept anything less, may we know we are rooted in the infinite divinity.
    Chalice Lighting | By Jami Yandle | August 1, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Body, Freedom, Gender, God, Imagination, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Wholeness, Wonder, Worship
  • The Milky Way in the night sky near the horizon, with one end aligned with a tree visible in silhouette.
    We light this chalice to ignite the divine spark of the universe, whose pronouns have always been plural…
    Chalice Lighting | By Jami Yandle | August 1, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Gender, Imagination, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Wonder, Worship
  • A small copse of oaks in a light misty fog. There are still some green leaves on the trees, but the ground is covered with brown fallen leaves.
    High up, the wild geese have pulled the rusty doorway of Autumn closed behind them, their sharp music a choir of deep acoustic truth.
    Poetry | By Jennifer Pratt-Walter | July 31, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Animals, Autumnal Equinox, Earth, Earth-Centered, Fall, Nature, Winter, Worship
  • A person in a black top and blue pants, out of focus, stands looking away from the camera on a forest path. Our point of view is ground level, and in the foreground, in focus, there is a dry brown fallen leaf.
    We lift up those who fear that their hurts, their pains, are too insignificant for healing. May they know that their hurt and their pain is valid, no matter the size, and may they feel comforted in the knowledge that they are not alone and that they are loved.
    Prayer | By Krista Westervelt | July 31, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Caring, Despair, Fear, Grief, Healing, Pain, Regret, Suffering, Wholeness, Worship
  • A lily blossom, with pale violet leaves and yellow stamens, floats in a pond. Our view is from directly above, and in the water around the blossom we see the reflection of the concentric circles of the frames supporting the glass roof of a greenhouse.
    We extinguish this flame to remind us: love is the center. As we explore and rest, engage and heal: love remains the center. When all we can see is cold ashes: love remains.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Eric Hepburn | July 17, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Healing, Love, Truth, Worship
  • A lily blossom, with pale violet leaves and yellow stamens, floats in a pond. Our view is from directly above, and in the water around the blossom we see the reflection of the concentric circles of the frames supporting the glass roof of a greenhouse.
    We light this flame to remind us: love is the center. As we grow and connect, mature and deepen: love remains the center. When the light of truth burns all else away: love remains.
    Chalice Lighting | By Eric Hepburn | July 17, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Connections, Growth, Love, Sacred, Truth, Worship
  • Against a uniform dark background, a bright yellow light shines in the upper left of the image. Rays of light and lens flare effects stream from the central light.
    We light this chalice with all our soul’s longing, to be who we are, to be who will we will become, to be ourselves.
    Chalice Lighting | By SarahRuth Wekoye Davis | July 8, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Hope, Identity, Love, Reverence, Sadness, Worship
  • Closeup image of Benjamin Franklin’s right eye from a $100 bill.
    The offering we take each Sunday is an opportunity to recommit to this place, and to these people. It is as much a ritual as singing together, lighting our Chalice, or reciting our Unison Affirmation.
    Offering | By Paul Dalzell | July 8, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Commitment, Community, Generosity, Love, Worship
  • At night, a person in a black hoodie holds a lantern while standing on the sea shore. In the darkness, we see only the person’s head and upper body lit by the lantern, as well as the dark blue sea and some clouds visible in the last light of day. There are stars in the sky above.
    May we continue to strive to know one another in community.
    Responsive Reading | By Leslie Takahashi | July 2, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Conflict, Humanism, Truth, Wisdom, Worship
  • A photo captures a sky, a Black person's upraised fist, and a cardboard sign (as if at a protest) that says, "Freedom Day Juneteenth"
    Let us rejoice for those who safely passed through the shades of night towards the daylight of freedom.
    Prayer | By Addae Ama Kraba | July 1, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Freedom, History, Juneteenth, Worship
  • a translucent bowl of water, from above, holds a small sunflower blossom
    The water of tears, the water of cleansing and renewal, the water of nourishment, and the water of change.
    Ritual | By Madelyn Campbell | July 1, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Change, Grief, Healing, Nature, Water Communion, Worship
  • The Juneteenth flag: A solid white five-pointed star on a field of blue and red. The border between the blue top half and the red bottom half is an arch that passes through the center of the star. The five-pointed star is surrounded by the outline of a larger 12-pointed star.
    May we remember the atrocities that brought us here.
    Prayer | By Ali K.C. Bell | June 30, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Freedom, Generations, History, Honesty, Juneteenth, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
  • A large tree with a sagging branch being held aloft by a prop shaped like a human hand.
    On this Sunday before Labor Day, we light this flame to honor all work. Not only the work we do for pay with our hands, our backs, and our minds, that is important, yes. But also the work we do for love!
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Dalzell | June 28, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Caring, Community, Connections, Labor Day, Love, Work, Worship
  • A rough-hewn wooden table top, with a white coffee mug in the foreground and a notebook opened to a blank page in the background.
    The agenda looks long. When will I get home? What surprises and big decisions await us?
    Poetry | By Lisa Smith-Horn | June 28, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Commitment, Connections, Democracy, Governance, Listening, Respect, Trust, Worship
  • The face and arms of a young person, surrounded by darkness, are illuminated by the light from the fire in a sky lantern that he is holding and about to launch.
    We light our chalice as a symbol of the Light within us and the life that flows through the world around us.
    Chalice Lighting | By Brian C. Lee | June 28, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Commitment, Community, Love, Truth, Worship