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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 small child clutches a sandwich in their hands, showing fingernails painted light blue.
    We are the hands and feet of love. And sometimes its fingernails, too.
    Reflection | By Joanna Fontaine Crawford | May 10, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Body, Children, Direct Experience, Gender, Generations, Imagination, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • A person's hands scoop green material into a full compost bin, filled with flowers, eggshells, and colorful vegetable matter.
    The miracle of grace is available to us even when it has been left untended.
    Reflection | By Jennifer Hundley-Batts | May 3, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Abundance, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Food, Grace, Nature, Patience, Stewardship, Summer Solstice, Worship
  • With a snow-covered landscape visible outside, a bird trapped inside of a window flaps its wings.
    In our times of need, may we each be saved by hope, connection, and love.
    Reflection | By Lynn Gardner | April 26, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Compassion, Salvation, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    I am seeking the courage to be open.
    Meditation | By Douglas Taylor | April 20, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Vulnerability, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    There is hope through imagination.
    Meditation | By Douglas Taylor | April 20, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Empathy, Imagination, Solidarity, Worship
  • A tiny chickweed seedling still has the cap of its seed pod, while the tiny seedling next to it is unfurling its tiny green leaves.
    Remind me that life is magical and mysterious.
    Reflection | By JD Stillwater | April 19, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Awe, Beauty, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Stewardship, Wonder, Worship
  • A tiny infant is cradled gently against the chest of a man, seen from the neck down, with muscular arms.
    We hold space for all that Father's Day may mean to us.
    Prayer | By Amy Jones | April 13, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Children, Father's Day, Fathers, Parents, Worship
  • From behind, a child holds a camera at the edge of a river. In the distance, and through the camera screen, there's a heron faintly visible.
    May we remember the belonging that is ours simply because we were born.
    Reflection | By Lindasusan Ulrich | April 12, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Earth, Imagination, Nature, Worship
  • A bowl of dates, a strand of prayer beads, and a small brass pot.
    Ramadan, never forgotten, entices me back to Love, and I am home once again
    Poetry | By Summer Albayati | April 10, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Faith, Food, Islam, Ramadan, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Worship
  • The cast of "Jesus Christ Superstar" on stage, at a moment where Jesus is kneeling with a woman and smiling.
    It’s complicated, sorting out where Jesus fits into my life as a witch. But he hasn’t gone away.
    Reflection | By Myke Johnson | April 5, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Christianity, Easter, Lent, Worship
  • A watercolor background with a simple black image of a vase holding flowers. The text says: "Beauty Calls Us Together: A cantata honoring 100 years of the Flower Ceremony, 1923-2023"
    "Beauty Calls Us Together" is a cantata, composed by Kathryn Canan, Rev. Suzelle Lynch, and John-Ruben Piiraine, to celebrate the Flower Ceremony Centennial.
    Leader Resource | March 30, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Arts & Music, Flower Communion, Unitarianism, Worship
  • At a March For Our Lives event, a protester is seen from behind wearing a very large sign that says #Enough
    How can I be love instead of being anger and fear?
    Reflection | By DeEtte Waleed | March 29, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Disaster or Crisis, Integrity, Love, Violence, Worship
  • On a road, a Black man in jeans bends down to talk through a passenger window to the car's driver.
    My intuition became honed, for safety and survival.
    Reflection | By Lynette Yetter | March 22, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    I cannot assume anything when you welcome me into your spaces with suspicion and fear.
    Poetry | By Kristen L. Harper | March 15, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Justice, Oppression, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
  • A trail is vaguely visible on a mossy forest bed, through thick trees. A blaze of blue paint appears on one of the many trees.
    What’s your most memorable story about getting lost? What do you remember about finding your way home?
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | March 15, 2023 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Connections, Despair, Direct Experience, Home, Hope, Humanism, Journey, Searching, Worship
  • A burst of sunlight appears through leafy branches
    This chalice is for the living, the changing, the becoming.
    Chalice Lighting | By Li Kynvi | March 15, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Growth, Identity, Living Our Faith, Transformation, Truth, Worship
  • Silhouetted by the setting sun, a person is caught in the moments after skipping a stone into Lake Erie at Point Pelee National Park, Ontario.
    To live is to change. To change is to find our sacred purpose.
    Prayer | By George Grimm-Howell | March 15, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Worship
  • From above, a cross-section of a large, old oak stump--with all of its rings--and an oak sapling growing out of its center.
    I don’t know exactly when it happened, but something began to change.
    Reading | By Tess Baumberger | March 13, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Aging, Caring, Change, Coming-of-Age, Direct Experience, Generations, Humanism, Life Transition, Secular, Worship
  • Seen from above, an ivory pillar candle burns on a slate surface with a branch of greenery resting nearby.
    Be kind. Be brave. Be just. Be merciful.
    Benediction | By Adam Slate | March 13, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Hope, Justice, Kindness, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    We end our gathering with gratitude for camaraderie, shared wisdom, goodwill, and support
    Benediction | By Adam Slate | March 10, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Worship