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.
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For the gift of this day and for our community of spiritual nurture and compassion, we give thanks. We light this chalice as a symbol of our faith. May our many sparks meet and merge in communion of heart and soul.Chalice Lighting | By Bruce Southworth | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Caring, Commitment, Community, Compassion, Faith, Gratitude, Growth, Hope, Presence, Reverence -
We light this chalice for the web of life which sustains us, For the sacred circle of life in which we have our being, For the Earth, the Sky, Above and Below, and For our Mother Earth, and for the Mystery.Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Connections, Earth, Earth-Centered, Generations, Interdependence, Mystery, Nature, Paganism, Power, Relationships, Reverence, Sacred -
I want to tell you about something that happened a few years ago on a Sunday after services. The congregation I was serving then was gathered for a congregational meeting....Sermon | By Sara Campbell | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Connections, Mystery, Presence, Spirituality -
Take courage friends. The way is often hard, the path is never clear, and the stakes are very high. Take courage. For deep down, there is another truth: you are not alone.Closing | By Wayne B. Arnason | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Power, Solidarity, Strength, Unity
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Let us seek the quiet and the calm Let us lay aside our loud calling Let us lay aside our struggle Speak softly: let us listen to the melodies that recall other proportions Our moments tarry not with us Let us then seek the dimension that endures beyond all nowness and hereness beyond all...Meditation | By Jay E Abernathy, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Silence, Simplicity
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How to discuss the truth that some men love men, and some women, women, and some, both, with the children in the church school and church home? Nonchalantly. Without drum-rolls. Without tip-toe preparations. Without calculating and predicting to the nth degree. With candor. With open ears. With...Reading | By Mark Belletini | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Anti-Oppression, Gender, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Love, Pride Sunday -
In the Unitarian Universalist Church we find inspiration from many different sources. The inspiration for today’s sermon comes from a joke. You may have heard it: Q: What’s the difference between cats and dogs? A: Dogs look at people and say, “They feed us. They give us shelter. They take care...Sermon | By Christopher Buice | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Buddhism, Diversity, Unitarianism, Unity, Universalism
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I want to tell you about a T-ball game, a story credited to storyteller Bill Harley. If, like me, you grew up before T-ball, you'll need to know that it’s a game like softball, but with gentle rules for 5 to 8-year olds, kids just starting out in life. Now, the particular T-ball team Bill...Story | By John Parker Manwell | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Animals, Choice, Love, Presence
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To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk exposing our true self. To place our ideas—our dreams—before the crowd is to risk loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to...Closing | By Anonymous | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Failure, Hope, Love
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To act so that our empathy is evident wherever we go—that's the object.Closing | By David Hicks MacPherson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Connections, Purpose -
We light this chalice to honor the memory of those who have come before us, kindling flames of wisdom in dark times, willing to challenge orthodoxy even at great personal risk, giving us a legacy of freedom and a love of truth, A legacy that warms our hearts and lights our paths.Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Challenge, Commitment, Courage, Freedom, Generations, History, Journey, Love, Truth, Wisdom -
Religious Education Director: Today, we celebrate you as you take the next step on your journey, moving from childhood to adolescence. This is a wonderful time in your life, full of hope and expectation and wonder. As you begin to explore more about who you are, you are like a kite....Ritual | By Dana Poss | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Bridging
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"Can faith equal faith? Do gods of one faith take care of the believers of other faiths? Who will protect my god when he falters and his faith fails? Do the gods of one faith take care of the gods of other faiths?" These questions all come from the poem "Faith," by Justin Chin. In the poem, the...Sermon | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), God, Identity, Psychology, Searching
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According to economist Juliet Schor, author of The Overworked American, having the chance to spend time not doing anything in particular is less common than it used to be. In her book, Schor documents the increase of time spent working—both paid employment and work around the house—over a...Sermon | By Cathy Bowers | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Power, Purpose, Self-Care, Work, Worth
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About twenty years ago, I read a book that I've never discussed with anyone, but which has stayed with me and intrigued me all this time. Titled Religions of America and edited by Leo Rosten, it is an attempt to describe as clearly and as concisely as possible the variety of religious faiths in...Sermon | By Bruce A Bode | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Growth, Humanism, Science, Truth
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I am a third generation Unitarian Universalist. This is by no means a record. Even in this congregation there are families whose Unitarian Universalist history goes much further back, and in New England, where I grew up, there were people who were fifth, sixth, even seventh generation....Sermon | By Rebecca F Benner | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Generations, History, Identity, Unitarianism, Universalism
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John Haynes Holmes was born into a Unitarian family soon after the Civil War. He grew up just outside of Boston, and his father would take him to Unitarian churches in Boston every Sunday so that he would hear the best preaching the city had to offer. Holmes idolized his grandfather, John Haynes,...Story | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: History, Nonviolence, Unitarianism, War
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One day, a rabbit set out from the woods, carrying a question to all the other creatures that it met. The rabbit came first to a butterfly fluttering in an open field, and asked, "Friend butterfly, what can you tell me about the thing called 'god’?" The butterfly thought for a moment, and said,...Story | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Direct Experience, God
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How can we begin to understand what hope and healing mean in the face of a deadly illness with no known cure? We have many sources of hope and healing in our lives—singing, praying, thinking, communicating, acting, giving, and remembering. Dr. Richard Cabot tells the story of a young theological...Reading | By Jay E Abernathy, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Healing, Illness, Suffering
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Let us seek the quiet and the calm Let us lay aside our loud calling Let us lay aside our struggle Speak softly: let us listen to the melodies that recall other proportions Our moments tarry not with us Let us then seek the dimension that endures beyond all nowness and hereness beyond all...Opening | By Jay E Abernathy, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Contemplation, Peace, Silence