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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Spirit of Compassion, remind us that our task as humans is not perfection, but faithfulness.Reflection | By Lindasusan Ulrich | January 31, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Balance, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Humanism, Letting Go, Psychology, Secular, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Worth -
"When it comes to our children, we do not have the luxury of despair. If we rise, they will rise with us every time, no matter how many times we've fallen before. I hope you will remember that the next time you fail. I hope I will too. Remembering that is the most important work as parents we can...Quote | By Cheryl Strayed | January 30, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Child Dedication, Children, Coming of Age, Despair, Direct Experience, Failure, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Humanism, Integrity, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, Secular, Teacher Dedication -
Let us hold a quiet moment together as our chalice is lit. As the wild wind bites, so does the still flame warm us. As the deep snows block our doors, so does the gentle flame bring us out....Chalice Lighting | By Ben Soule | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Challenge, Community, Earth-Centered, Imbolc / Brighid's Day / Candlemas, Integrity, Relationships, Winter, Winter Solstice / Yule -
Go in hope, for the arc of the universe is long and we can bend it toward justice. Go in courage, for together we have the strength to confront injustice in our daily lives and the larger world....Benediction | By Elena Westbrook | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Anti-Oppression, Courage, Hope, Justice, Love, Unitarian Universalism -
I had dreams about anywhere-else-but-here But our faith kept me close. I believed I had done something to deserve it. Our faith shouted, “No!” I tried to imagine it never happened But our faith reminded, “Yes, grief is real.” I thought I might die But our faith nurtured my life. I wondered...Poetry | By Megan Visser | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Community, Doubt, Inclusion, Living Our Faith, Love, Salvation, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness, Worth -
Let us ground ourselves in gratitude: using the colorful paper and something to write with, we prepare for our Gratitude Confetti ritual. Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/on-being-column-the-hardship-we-accept/"…; I encourage myself to remember that being grateful...Ritual | By Karen G. Johnston | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beginnings, Ending, Gratitude, Humanism, Integrity, New Year, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
Holy One, Emmanuel, You are with us and we with You, now on the eve of a birth like no other, and a birth exactly like all others. We ponder the dreams and foretelling—royalty, savior, the light of the world. Revolution and possibility wrapped in helplessness and vulnerability.…Prayer | By Lisa Doege | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Birth, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Joy, Redemption, Resilience -
As we come together, let us pause to take stock of the year now concluding: its moments of happiness and hurt, its times of accomplishment and failure, and its occasions of inspiration and fear. We add these experiences to the tapestries of our years, and look bravely towards a new horizon.Opening | By Paul Vachon | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beginnings, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Ending, Humanism, New Year, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
Once upon a time, a baby was born. Even before that baby was born, there were people waiting and wishing and hoping for that baby. The people who were waiting and wishing and hoping for that baby didn’t know exactly what that baby would be like. And so, they wondered: Would the baby have a smile...Time for All Ages | By Gwen Matthews | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Advent, Awe, Child Dedication, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Family, Fathers, Generations, Humanism, Mothers, Parents, Secular, Tradition -
Remembering to breathe and to breathe deeply and then once more, to take the breath in and let the breath out, we pause, poised as we are, at a point of risking, at a possibility of courage: #metoo. Risking vulnerability Risking pain Risking being known Risking being not believed Risking being...Prayer | By Karen G. Johnston | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Body, Courage, Direct Experience, Gender, Healing, Mothers, Sexuality, Vulnerability, Wholeness, Women -
I’m not the same person who stood in that tattoo parlor eleven years ago. Still, I don’t for a minute regret being permanently marked with this snapshot in time, of my wounds and my hope.Reflection | By Mandie McGlynn | January 20, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Body, Children, Direct Experience, Discernment, Humanism, Secular, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Women -
I wanted so badly to break free and let loose—but I just couldn't. I was stuck in my own false ideas of the congregation's expectations of me. Luckily, there’s still time.Reflection | By DeReau K. Farrar | January 16, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Arts & Music, Body, Direct Experience, Empathy, Freedom, Joy, Limitations, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Self-Respect -
In our congregations, how often do we assume that preachers, music directors, and other worship leaders are there to fulfill our personal preferences?Leader Resource | By Erika Hewitt, Erica Baron | January 10, 2018 | From WorshipLabTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Arts & Music, Conflict, Covenant, Direct Experience, Leadership, Responsibility, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
Liking somebody, even loving somebody, is not enough to protect them from shade that you cannot even see, much less understand.Reflection | By Teresa Honey Youngblood | January 10, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Character, Children, Coming-of-Age, Direct Experience, Humanism, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Truth -
This service was written by Rev. Clyde Grubbs and Mary Jane Holden, and adapted by Erika Hewitt. It uses readers—as many as ten, plus the Worship Leader—to tell the story of the Civil Rights movement as it unfolded over the course of a decade. This story was designed to be read while photos were...Script | By Clyde Grubbs, Mary Jane Holden, Erika Hewitt | January 4, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Activism, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, History, Humanism, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Solidarity -
I put my faith in you. I put my faith in every one of you who woke up this morning with the weight of loss—manifesting as numbness, anger, fear, or an alienating, aching pain. I put my faith in you, and I pray you will put your faith in me. We need one another now, because we will not make it...Affirmation | By Anya Sammler-Michael | January 4, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Commitment, Community, Connections, Courage, Covenant, Disaster or Crisis, Humanism, Interdependence, Relationships, Secular, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism -
Holy One, on this day of remembrance we say aloud their names again: the names of those who died this year. Died — the word is jarring. So jarring that we hardly use the word, substituting euphemisms that are a bit more vague. Sometimes people say “lost” when what they mean is dead: “We lost...Prayer | By Lori Walke | January 4, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), All Souls Day, Death, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Grief, Honesty, Love, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Remembrance Day -
My oldest child was confused: why would no one stop and help us? Even though people weren’t stopping to help us, my son said, he wanted to be more like me and stop to help someone anyway.Reflection | By Rayla D. Mattson | January 3, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Caring, Character, Children, Compassion, Conscience, Direct Experience, Generations, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Mothers, Parents -
We have narratives that guide the way we experience and know one another—but the Rev. Dr. William Barber often reminds me that “you must always believe the redemption of your enemy is possible.”Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 26, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Beginnings, Direct Experience, Integrity, Redemption, Salvation, Transcendence -
The hours of day and night are in balance. In honor of Earth-centered traditions that celebrate this time of year, we observe that the flaming chalice holds the elements of the four directions: Earth, air, fire, water. The lamp oil for earth The air that feeds the flame The fire we light And the...Chalice Lighting | By Sharon Wylie | December 22, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Autumnal Equinox, Balance, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Searching, Vernal Equinox