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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Voice 1 Welcome, you who approach this time as a journey toward the horizon, the beginning of the next chapter, seeking all of the insights and opportunities the new day offers....Invocation | By Lyn Cox | October 25, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Generations, History, Paganism, Prophetic Words & Deeds -
There is relief and remorse equally in my heart as the growing season comes to a close.Reflection | By Teresa Honey Youngblood | October 23, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Animals, Caring, Creativity, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Secular, Stewardship -
Let us be thankful and full of praise to be in the company of those who came before.Opening | By Karen G. Johnston | October 22, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Community, Connections, Direct Experience, Generations, Gratitude, History, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Vision -
Spirit of Life, Source of Love, you who know our struggles and failures as well as we know them ourselves, be with us as we enter into this time of reflection. Give us the courage to travel through a moral inventory of our lives, to notice the places where we have missed opportunities to live our...Prayer | By Lyn Cox | October 16, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Community, Conscience, Ethics, Failure, Judaism, Reconciliation, Responsibility, Rosh Hashanah, Transformation, Yom Kippur -
Knit six purl six sets of two rows four rows six rows up to twelve, patterns, repeating, steady, soothingly same. This is not what life is like. Life is like picking up a tousled hunk of yarn pulled out of the basket by an impatient child looking for a string too many times. You find an end. You...Poetry | By Dawn Star Sarahs-Borchelt | October 16, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, Brokenness, Connections, Direct Experience, Grief, Humanism, Interdependence, Life Transition, Pain, Secular, Stress -
"A faith that is not the sister of justice is bound to bring people to grief....Quote | By James Luther Adams | October 16, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Freedom, Justice, Religion, Unitarianism -
This is the beauty and sparkle of spiritual communities: needs arise and beloveds appear to ask, “How can I help?” There’s no fixed timeline, just the spiritual practices of generosity and stewardship.Reflection | By Rebekah Savage | October 16, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Balance, Direct Experience, Discernment, Hope, Humanism, Interdependence, Purpose, Responsibility, Secular, Stewardship, Unitarian Universalism -
On August 25, 1619, the ship the White Lion arrived at Point Comfort, now known as Fort Monroe National Monument in Hampton, Virginia. The ship contained enslaved Africans. This is the first recorded arrival of Africans in America....Affirmation | By Kristen L. Harper | October 10, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), America, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, History, Juneteenth, Oppression, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Resilience -
Coming out to my family was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I realized that my choice was one of life and death, and I needed to let my secret out in order to continue living, and to do so authentically.Reflection | By Adrian L. H. Graham | October 9, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Atheism, Coming Out, Community, Courage, Direct Experience, Humanism, Identity, Integrity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, National Coming Out Day, Pride Sunday, Secular, Trust, Truth -
Under the right circumstances, playing with fire is a delight—imagine being gathered round a firepit as the crackling flames invite us to sing, dance, and roast a marshmallow or two. Our chalice also invites us to play, although with ideas rather than with marshmallows. The flame encourages us to...Chalice Lighting | By Melanie Davis | October 6, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Humanism, Joy, Playfulness, Secular, Trust, Unitarian Universalism -
The road not taken is not a fork. That’s too simple a thought, flipping some coin. Either/or. Nope. It’s not this or that. No or yes. It’s nor/ neither and all of the above and more. The road taken goes every way at once. There. There. They. Them. Go. Now. Live.Affirmation | By David Breeden | October 6, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Agnosticism, Coming Out, Dignity, Direct Experience, Gender, Humanism, Identity, Inclusion, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Secular, Self-Respect, Sexuality, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Unitarian Universalism -
What I do know for sure is that hope matters. One of the best things we can do is to hold hope for someone when that person cannot hold it for themselves.Reflection | By Elea Kemler | October 2, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Hope, Listening, Ministry, Presence, Searching -
Love is hard. Love for people, especially those who are different from you. Love that says “I see you as a person.” Love that says “let your unique light shine in the world” because each of our souls touches the divine mystery. Love that says “we’re on a journey together, and my fate is...Responsive Reading | By Carey McDonald, Terasa Cooley | September 27, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Commitment, Love, Relationships -
Although the German word Giftschrank sounds like a quirky holiday tradition, the term is really a combination of the words poison and cabinet....Reading | By Erika Hewitt, Becky Brooks | September 25, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Direct Experience, Freedom, Humanism, Interdependence, Limitations, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Responsibility, Secular -
The work of forgiveness is so challenging—the actual work of it. The naming, grieving, empathizing, releasing. It’s like a death. A death of what we wanted, what we expected, what we’d hoped for, what we deserved and didn’t receive….We don’t get to control other people or outcomes. I am...Reading | By Jen Hatmaker | September 25, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Growth, Letting Go, Relationships -
Minister: The cultural and ethnical diversity in our region shapes our mission of providing religious education that is meaningful and relevant to our members and community. Our faith is a living one, co-created by the promises we make and keep. It is enlivened when we lift up all of the voices,...Ritual | By Katie Romano Griffin, Tania Y Márquez | September 18, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Direct Experience, Homecoming / Ingathering, Leadership, Unitarian Universalism
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May I always remember that Tango, like life, is a dance of the people. It’s meant to be shared, not practiced in isolation.Reflection | By Katie Romano Griffin | September 18, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Arts & Music, Balance, Body, Connections, Direct Experience, Family, Humanism, Multiculturalism, Playfulness, Power, Relationships, Secular -
My four-year-old daughter has taught me this lesson: when a child wants to derail Business As Usual— to curb the hubris of adults who dare believe in schedules and plans and productivity— one fierce little body and one clear, piercing voice, strategically applied to the right pressure point,...Meditation | By Ashley Horan | September 16, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Activism, Children, Climate Justice, Direct Experience, Earth, Justice, Responsibility -
God, teach us to consider also how others experience the world. To understand how my reality and their reality are different and yet they share qualities of the same core desire. Teach us to listen for shared feelings, for places of connection. Teach us to be curious and open to hearing differences.Prayer | By Tanya Cothran | September 11, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Christianity, Compassion, Direct Experience, Empathy, God, Healing, Imagination, Immanence, Love, Unity, Vulnerability -
May we find love in this place: love in our hearts, love for the broken-down, love for the lonely, love for those yet to feel whole, love for those in-between, love for those out of our reach. May we find love, add love, and be love in this world. Amen.Prayer | By Laura Riordan Berardi | September 11, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Hope, Humanism, Interdependence, Love, Relationships, Unitarian Universalism