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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 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
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Our liberation is deeply connected to the portal of healing we can tap into when we rest. Wherever our bodies are, we can find rest, ease, and liberation.
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | December 10, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Culture, Freedom, Healing, Oppression, Rights, Self-Care, Worship
  • A greyscale image of the tiny feet of a baby held in a pair of adult hands, with larger adult hands cradling both. The symmetrical arrangement of hands and feet somewhat resembles a heart. Behind the hands and feet, we can see a little of the clothes covering the baby’s belly.
    Later, poets would tell of stars, shepherds, and seers, songs of angels…
    Poetry | By Daniel S. Schatz | December 10, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Birth, Children, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Fathers, Journey, Love, Mothers, Pain, Parents, Winter, Worship
  • The sentence “Racism & hate have no place here” written on an otherwise blank page from a journal. A fountain pen and ink pot rest on the page.
    Where do you keep your love? Invite love in.
    Poetry | By Jennifer Pratt-Walter | December 9, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Compassion, Earth, Environment, Equity, Freedom, Greed, Interdependence, Justice, Love, Worship
  • In the foreground, the edge of a Christmas tree decorated with baubles and a blurred string of white lights. In the background, a blurred grouping of people indoors, as if at a restaurant or party.
    The winter holidays are beautiful and celebratory; they’re also hard and complicated.
    Reflection | By Kim Mason | December 4, 2024 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice / Yule, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Embrace knowing that you have been manipulated and scammed by a violent system as powerful evidence. Now with this knowledge you can grieve, repair, rest, and heal.
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | December 3, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Culture, Grief, Healing, Oppression, Revelation, Shame, Work, Worship
  • In a darkened room, a chalice glows on a desk, with six crayons arranged around it like the rays of the sun. The light from the chalice illuminates several objects on the desk, including a small framed “children’s version” of the seven principles, a polished spherical crystal, a LEGO figurine of a person in a jumpsuit, a flat white-and-silver dove ornament, several books, and a jar with stalks of dried lavender.
    Meet me in the heartbeat between what has been and what will be; meet me in the flicker of our eternal flame. We need not face this moment alone.
    Prayer | By Helen “HP” Rivers | December 3, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Change, Children, Community, Hope, Journey, Joy, Playfulness, Sorrow, Worship
  • A close-up of an outstretched brown-skinned hand, with salt slipping between the fingers and pouring down in a stream. The salt is brightly lit, and stands out clearly from the black background of the photo.
    Spirit of Transformation, may our hearts break open and stretch out to join with the hearts of others who yearn for a freer world…
    Prayer | By AJ van Tine | December 3, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Body, Community, Compassion, Despair, Fear, Grief, Hope, Joy, Transformation, Worship
  • The front cover of Tricia Hersey’s book “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto”
    Resting as a form of resistance will be part of a lifelong unraveling. A mind shift, a slow and consistent practice filled with grace. We must imagine a new way, and rest is the foundation for this invention.
    Quote | By Tricia Hersey | November 27, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Culture, Grace, Healing, Oppression, Trauma, Work, Worship