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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 fat woman in a bikini laughs, in a swimming pool, surrounded by other fat and laughing people and their pool toys.
    When you're shamed and ashamed, it takes a lot of positives to make up for even a few negatives.
    Homily | By Victoria Ingram | January 14, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Body, Direct Experience, Fat Liberation, Self-Respect
  • Path through tall trees in foggy light
    Friends, thank you for your witness to all that exists on the margins; thank you for your commitment to hold yourselves and one other in great and steadfast love. Moving forward from this space, may we continue to nurture spiritual growth. May we continue to travel along the winding pathway to...
    Closing | By Phoenix Bell-Shelton Biggs | January 13, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Community, Healing
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    Now is the time for our financial offering. [Particular donation info, e.g. Donations can be made directly into the baskets being passed around, or online through our website, by mail, or by email. If you donate to the loose collection, then half of your donation will go to the congregation while...
    Offering | By Frances Koziar | January 13, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Class, Diversity, Money, Stewardship, Worship
  • Bright, otherworldly blue rays from optical fibers in a colored lamp
    We light this chalice today as a people dedicated to personal growth.
    Chalice Lighting | By Frances Koziar | January 12, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Challenge, Growth
  • A dynamic blur of bright colors, due to a long exposure of lights at night.
    We must be willing and prepared to dance with joy when liberation arrives.
    Poetry | By Mandie McGlynn | January 12, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Generations, Judaism, Worship
  • Two Black women pack toys into a box, as though preparing a donation
    Every time someone showed up for me, I learned that love is greater than skin deep.
    Reflection | By Melissa Jeter | January 12, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Challenge, Choice, Direct Experience, Discernment, Living Our Faith, Love, Pain, Parents, Relationships, Worship
  • MLK in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963.
    We have come here today to remember what some are intent on making us forget.
    Affirmation | By Addae Ama Kraba | January 10, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: History, Justice, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
  • The year "2022" written in flowers, leaves, and pinecones
    What word might you use as your centering lodestar for 2022?
    Reflection | By Tim Atkins | January 5, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Worship
  • In a sunny church sanctuary, rows of empty red velvet and wooden pews
    We are leaving a space that has been made holy.
    Prayer | By Jules Taylor | January 3, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Building/Space Dedication, Ending, Gratitude, Worship
  • On a nest of straw and holiday tinsel three white paper stars, or Froebelsterne, are nestled.
    May we continue to find ways to connect while keeping safe this holiday season.
    Reflection | By Laura Shay | December 22, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Community, Worship
  • In the foreground, a slice of pecan pie and a hot beverage sit on a table. In the background, there's a merry decorated Christmas tree.
    For me, “surrendering everything tenderly” brings an awareness of grace.
    Reflection | By Jake Morrill | December 15, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Food, Grace, Patience, Worship
  • the silhouette of a person, taken from some distance, under a bright night sky with the Milky Way stars in bright colors.
    We are mourning the dead and fighting for the living. We're singing for joy and striving for meaning.
    Prayer | By Erika Hewitt | December 14, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Mystery, Purpose, Wonder, Worship
  • A worn, chipped statue of Mary, pictured from the shoulders up, with a weary expression.
    Each Advent, my empathy for Mary’s situation returns.
    Reflection | By Taryn Strauss | December 8, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Children, Choice, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Discernment, Women, Worship
  • In a nest woven from twigs and leaves, a small spotted eggshell is broken.
    Acknowledging that our dream was not happening didn't end the grief, but it did offer closure.
    Reflection | By Leslie Gatto | December 1, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Children, Direct Experience, Grief, Mothers, Parents, Worship
  • Vines cross and intertwine themselves on a tree trunk
    Let us marvel at the miracle of being here, right now.
    Opening | By Tania Y Márquez | November 30, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Friendship, Gratitude, Joy, Unitarian Universalism, Unity, Wonder, Worship
  • A person in a medical coat, mask, and gloves braces themselves on a balcony, head bowed as though in prayer.
    May we release ourselves from the need to fit every truth neatly into our own language.
    Reflection | By Sally Fritsche | November 24, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Atheism, Compassion, Direct Experience, Discernment, Empathy, Ministry, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Worship
  • A wash of gentle, shimmering light, as if the inside of a bubble.
    Love calls me to rest when I feel disconnected
    Affirmation | By Melissa Jeter | November 24, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Interdependence, Love, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worship
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    Ask yourself, in your heart: What or who are you grateful for?
    Meditation | By Susan Frederick-Gray | November 23, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Connections, Gratitude, Spiritual Practice, Thanksgiving, Worship
  • A blurry array of pinpoint lights moves out toward the viewer.
    Though we experience discomfort, we are excited to give birth to a new, just world.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Melissa Jeter | November 22, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Challenge, Choice, Contemplation, Imagination, Purpose, Unitarian Universalism
  • A purple and pink sky, at twilight, with a burning sun setting behind dry, wintry stalks of grain.
    And still, we are grateful.
    Prayer | By Connie Simon | November 22, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, Worship