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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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  • The left hand of a person with brown skin is resting, palm-up, on a patch of green grass that fills the frame of the photo. A portion of a map is superimposed on the hand, but not the grass, giving the impression that the map has been drawn or tattooed on the hand.
    May this flame remind us of the connections that bind us to Unitarian Universalists around the world…
    Chalice Lighting | By Connie Simon | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Connections, Globalism, Hope, Interdependence, Love, United Nations Day, Worship
  • The Rock of Gibraltar, seen from the air, at roughly the same height as the summit. On the right we see the mountain’s steep vertical face of nearly-bare limestone, and on the left we see a 45-degree slope, mostly covered with green trees and shrubs, that leads to the summit. At the summit there are radio towers, and near the summit we see part of the ancient fortifications.
    As the world shifts beneath us, we seek steadiness…
    Opening | By Joan Javier-Duval | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Calling, Community, Faith, Justice, Nature, Strength, Truth, Wisdom, Worship
  • A small bird, with a mostly-yellow chest and blue, white, and black head, clings to a rusty vertical chain with links about one-fifth the size of the bird.
    As we extinguish our chalice, may we remember that we are links in an unbroken chain of fighters.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Tyler Boyle | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Generations, History, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Living Our Faith, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Worship
  • A small bird, with a mostly-yellow chest and blue, white, and black head, clings to a rusty vertical chain with links about one-fifth the size of the bird.
    As we light this chalice, let us remember those who came before us: our LGBTQ+ ancestors.
    Chalice Lighting | By Tyler Boyle | April 21, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Courage, Generations, Grief, History, Human Rights, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Living Our Faith, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Worship
  • A white person with black hair, wearing black pants and a dark striped top with white trim, walks a labyrinth on a beach with the ocean behind them. The labyrinth, similar but not identical to the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth, is marked out on the ground with rocks.
    We honor the great circle of Life that has brought us here and that which will continue when we are gone.
    Prayer | By Tyler Boyle | April 20, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Humility, Interdependence, Resilience, Strength, Worship
  • A lit candle in an old-fashioned candle holder sits on a table in front of a window. In the background, we see the setting sun against the horizon. A building is silhouetted against the smoky-orange sky.
    As we extinguish our chalice, may we remember the flame of life in all things…
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Irene Glasse | April 20, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Animals, Connections, Earth, Interdependence, Nature, Worship
  • Against a black background, a match held horizontally ignites. Smoke surrounds it, lit with blue light so that it is visible against the background.
    We kindle light, and with it, possibility…
    Chalice Lighting | By Irene Glasse | April 20, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Change, Growth, Imagination, Interdependence, Mystery, Transcendence, Worship
  • An abstract, fluid pattern of pale ripples dashed with vibrant cords of color: violet, gold, hot pink, etc.
    I love you because your transness is not something you overcame—it is something you are.

    Affirmation | By Jami Yandle | April 10, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Awe, Beauty, Identity, Joy, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Solidarity, Worship
  • An 18th-century colored drawing from Germany, showing an angel appearing to a sleeping shepherd. The angel is clothed in a pink robe and gold cape. The shepherd, in brown pants and a blue coat, rests his head against a stone bench.
    This is the Christmas of trumpets and trembling, of a universe tilted by a single birth, of a holiness that descends like a meteor and lands in a manger. But there is another way the story might be told…
    Homily | By Aaron Payson | April 9, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Change, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Compassion, Contemplation, Courage, Growth, Revelation, Sacred, Worship
  • In a crowd in a darkened area, about 20 people hold lit taper candles in the air. We see the hands and arms of the people with candles, but not their faces. The most prominent candle, and the one most in focus, is held by a white person with a bracelet on their arm.
    We remember that holiness has never belonged only to the mighty or the certain, but to the vulnerable, the weary, the seekers, and to all who dare to love in difficult times.
    Prayer | By Aaron Payson | April 8, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas, Community, Compassion, Courage, Fear, Grief, Hope, Justice, Love, Worship
  • In a darkened room, many lit candles of various types — tapers, pillars, votives in glass or stone holders — are positioned on a polished wooden table. The light from the candles is reflected on the table’s surface. At the far end of the table there is a higher altar-like surface with more candles and a chalice that holds a votive.
    In this hour of candlelight, we remember that holiness is not far away. It is here— in breath shared, in hope rekindled, in the quiet courage to begin again.
    Offering | By Aaron Payson | April 8, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christmas Eve / Christmas, Community, Compassion, Courage, Generosity, Gratitude, Hope, Presence, Sacred, Worship
  • Two people standing just inside a barn door. The barn is unlit, so we see only the silhouette of the people against the green, sunlit meadow outside the door.
    Take this as an invitation to cross thresholds of challenge, not on our own, not for ourselves alone, but side by side…
    Benediction | April 8, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Challenge, Change, Community, Courage, Growth, Searching, Teamwork, Worship
  • Four leaves float on very calm water. The leaves, perhaps from a beech tree, are shades of yellow, red, and orange.
    Golden leaves and harvest cheer, We gather close as frost draws near. But whispers rise from warming seas; A planet pleads beneath the trees…
    Blessing, Poetry, Prayer | By Brian C. Lee | April 8, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Autumnal Equinox, Earth, Environment, Fall, Interdependence, Thanksgiving, Worship
  • Frederick Franck’s sculpture “Seven Generations.” The sculpture consists of six consecutively smaller metal sheets standing upright in a straight line. The outer edge of each dark gray sheet is in the form of a simplified human silhouette, but inside each sheet there is a smaller cutout in the same shape, through which the next sheet is visible. The smallest sheet does not have the interior cutout, but instead has a red shape representing generations yet unborn.
    Each Sunday we light the chalice of our religious heritage. We do this for our ancestors… We do this for our children… We do this for ourselves…
    Chalice Lighting | April 7, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Children, Connections, Generations, History, Journey, Parents, Tradition, Worship
  • About 20 identical lit votive candles sitting on a dark textured surface. The candles completely fill the frame.
    When political violence is no longer a rhetorically-based thing but rather happening in front of our very own eyes, it can be hard to know what to do next.
    Prayer | By Lisa Schilansky | April 7, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Connections, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Peace, Politics, Violence, Worship
  • In a room with white walls we see a rectangular wooden dining table, with six blue placemats, five of which hold place settings, and one of which is empty. There are wooden chairs at the places with settings, but no chair at the empty placemat. In the background there are some sideboards, and there are small framed pieces of art on the walls.
    How, each morning after you left this earth, did the sun decide to rise once again?
    Blessing | By Laura McGuire | April 5, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Death, Grief, Healing, Letting Go, Mystery, Sorrow, Worship
  • In front of a glass wall facing an airport runway where a plane takes off, a line of diverse passengers lines up with luggage as if preparing to board a flight.
    These people: they are mine and I am theirs.
    Reflection | By Karen G. Johnston | March 18, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Worship
  • alt text: Alt text: a close-up of a person's outstretched arms and hands. They're wearing a brown fleece jacket, and their palms are facing the sky as if in surrender or prayer.
    In contemplating what's beyond my control, I surrender to The Universe that which I can not accomplish.
    Reflection | By Mary Shelden | March 11, 2026 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Creativity, Faith, Mystery, Personal Stories, Power, Spiritual Practice, Trust, Vulnerability, Wisdom, Worship
  • Against a black background, a the outline of a heart shape made by a person moving a pink sparkler while the camera’s shutter is open for a long exposure.
    With the lighting of this flame let us shine upon the hearts of all those who suffer, who yearn, and who crave the joyful noise of community–all Beings, not one left behind.
    Chalice Lighting | By Sangye Hawke | March 10, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Hope, Inclusion, Joy, Worship
  • View looking down a pedestrian bridge made from wooden planks suspended by poles hanging from a pair of cables. There is perhaps 50 feet of bridge, which ends at two support posts on either side of a wooden staircase heading up the side of a hill. The bridge is surrounded by bushes and trees.
    For a long time, both villages existed separately, across the canyon, happily humming along in life. They knew the other was there, but never had much cause to interact.…
    Time for All Ages | By Sara LaWall, Gem Emerson Paige | March 10, 2026 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Community, Connections, Creativity, Generations, Imagination, Interdependence, Leadership, Progress, Teamwork, Worship