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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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  • In a kitchen, a child sits on top of a counter, facing their mother who holds a coffee cup. She's bending towards the child to press her forehead and nose against theirs. They're both smiling affectionately.
    Joy arises like a gift, beyond my own deserving.
    Reflection | By DanaLee Simon | January 8, 2025 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Abundance, Acceptance, Aging, Anger, Balance, Choice, Imagination, Joy, Resilience, Worship
  • An aerial view of a public park in autumn. The main feature is a large circular area, perhaps hundreds of yards across, whose perimeter is marked by large trees. The circle is divided by walking paths into eight equal sections, meeting at a very large tree in the center of the circle.
    We join together in solidarity as a covenanted people, who are drawn together by the promise of connection and the mysterious pull of the unanswerable.
    Opening | By Bran Lennox | January 6, 2025 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Covenant, Love, Mystery, Solidarity, Wonder, Worship
  • A Black person, only partly visible due to framing, holds a lit match up to a white pillar candle. The candle is on a mantle, surrounded by greenery and two other unlit candles.
    The old story of the nativity speaks to us anew
    Responsive Reading | By Jane Blackall | December 20, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Worship
  • A group of five or six flowers drawn or painted against a black background. The flowers are realistic except for their colors. Each has five petals. The central flower has yellow, green, and purple petals, red in the center. The second most prominent flower has green petals, with red in the center.
    Blessings shall follow us all the days of our lives if we live in and return to right relationships, if we extend grace and forgiveness to ourselves and others, if we behold mercy as a spiritual superpower.
    Benediction | By Rebekah Savage | December 19, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Compassion, Forgiveness, Grace, Interdependence, Kindness, Love, Peace, Respect, Worship
  • A close-up of a lit glassblower’s kiln, centered on the upper part of its door and a seam in the surface above it. Through the access hole in the door we see several shades of fiery orange. The outer surface of the door and the kiln is mottled and discolored.
    Each day, every day, we are blessed to be the embodiment of what is possible, when Justice and Equity ground us in all that we do.
    Benediction | By Rebekah Savage | December 19, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Calling, Equity, Justice, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Let our rest be a resurrection. Let the veils be lifted so we can feel, see, taste, and smell the power of our rested selves.
    Affirmation | By Tricia Hersey | December 18, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Caring, Culture, Healing, Hope, Love, Revelation, Worship
  • A close-up, against a black background, of tea light made of red wax in a small heart-shaped container. The candle is lit. In the dim light, the sides of the heart-shaped container are just visible; they are decorated with geometric patterns in red, blue, and yellow.
    As we extinguish the flame of our chalice, may its lingering spark be carried in your heart until we are together again.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Rebekah Savage | December 18, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Rest isn’t a luxury, but an absolute necessity if we’re going to survive and thrive. Rest isn’t an afterthought, but a basic part of being human. Rest is a divine right. Rest is a human right.
    Reading | By Tricia Hersey | December 18, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Caring, Culture, Healing, Oppression, Rights, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Work, Worship
  • A young orange, brown, and white tabby cat lies on a bed with its eyes closed. The cat is on a light brown fleece blanket, and a pillow with a floral pillowcase is visible behind it. Sunlight rakes in at a low angle and illuminates part of the cat and the blanket.
    Sometimes we awake in the morning, and we’d rather go back to sleep… And then, the first sliver of sunshine may dance across our face.
    Meditation | By Rebekah Savage | December 18, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Beginnings, Body, Grace, Interdependence, Love, Nature, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Because we are in a constant state of unraveling from the lies and socialization of grind culture, we must be intentional about reimagining what we believe rest is and can be for our lives.
    Reading | By Tricia Hersey | December 18, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Caring, Culture, Healing, Oppression, Self-Care, Transformation, Work, Worship, Worth
  • In a snowy bank, a small cave has been dug out: about two feet wide and a foot tall. Inside that cave are two glowing candles, a metal goblet, and a plate with small items.
    I’ve found it helpful to think about parts of my life as cycles or spirals instead of a single, often meandering path.
    Reflection | By Geoff Duke | December 18, 2024 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Earth-Centered, Paganism, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    The legacy of brutality surrounding labor, sustenance, and survival for those enslaved on plantations and their descendants is striking…
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | December 11, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: America, Body, Culture, Oppression, Race/Ethnicity, Work, Worship
  • A white woman with neck-length reddish brown hair, wearing brown glasses and a dark green top, holds her right hand to her heart while closing her eyes. She is standing and facing to our left. In the same room, behind her and out of focus, are other people also standing in prayerful postures.
    We come together in this quiet moment to unify our hearts again towards the clarion call of our time: May justice and equity guide us to great connection, a greater truth.
    Prayer | By Rebekah Savage | December 11, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Compassion, Equity, Faith, Justice, Love, Oppression, Service, Truth, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    When I think about the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, chattel slavery, and plantation labor, I am stunned by how much we have chosen to forget that capitalism was built from these systems.
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | December 11, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: America, Body, Culture, Oppression, Race/Ethnicity, Work, Worship
  • A black-and-white photo of the full moon, close to the horizon and behind a tiny wisp of clouds, over the calm but not glassy surface of the Pacific ocean. The water reflects the moon’s light, forming a bright streak between the viewer and the moon.
    Here in the quiet, may we lift up our hearts in gratitude for the gifts of our lives, pausing in thanksgiving.
    Prayer | By Linda Hart | December 11, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Pain, Sorrow, Winter Solstice / Yule, Worry, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Rest is resistance because it is a counternarrative to the script of capitalism and white supremacy for all people.
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | December 11, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: America, Body, Culture, Healing, Oppression, Power, Race/Ethnicity, Self-Care, Work, Worship
  • A brown-skinned person wearing a puffy jacket has their back to the camera, viewing lush mountains covered in coniferous trees in Dharamshala, India.
    Holiness is within us; wholeness is around us.
    Reflection | By Rumni Saha | December 11, 2024 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Buddhism, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Rest is not a luxury, a privilege, or a bonus we must wait for once we are burned out.
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | December 10, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Culture, Healing, Oppression, Self-Care, Worship, Worth
  • A small box made out of wooden slats sits on a grassy lawn, with a light brown teddy bear beside it. The box has a black stenciled sign on it labeled “TOOLS,” and various tools — a hammer, pliers, snippers, a jar of nails, and others — are visible between the slats and over the edge of the box.
    An activity to help congregants of all ages remember the tools available to help get through difficult times.
    Time for All Ages | By Tara Humphries | December 10, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Creativity, Healing, Imagination, Interdependence, Mental Health, Playfulness, Resilience, Self-Care, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • At night, from the vantage point of a dark stretch of beach, there are three light sources visible: On the left there is a lighthouse, shining bright streams of light in several directions; on the right, the moon glows behind a light cloud cover; and in the middle, we see fainter light from several houses farther down the coast. The foam from the sea is also visible, and shows the shoreline stretching in a straight line from the lower right of the photo to the houses in the middle of the photo.
    We cannot know what all the year may bring, and would we heed the prophecy if we could?
    Chalice Lighting | By Mary Shelden | December 10, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Equity, Generations, Justice, Love, New Year, Worship