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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The Golden Chain: an Ife Creation Story Notes: There are many versions of this creation myth, most with the same elements. These adaptations by Erica Shadowsong include most of these common elements, additional ones found in the version cited in the story below. This story also uses a neo-pagan...Time for All Ages | By Erica Shadowsong | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, International, Multiculturalism, Race/Ethnicity -
There is nothing you need to bring with you to be welcome here no right beliefs or proof of citizenship no eternal optimism or clarity of conviction no boundless courage or endless expertise You do not need to know what brought you here Or how you will solve that problem you are turning over and...Opening | By Gretchen Haley | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Community, Interdependence, Vulnerability -
In the presence of this fire We hear the voice of our God, Of our Goddess, of our Holy. “You are on Sacred Ground.” In the presence of the flame In me, in you, in us, Moving, resting, gathering— We are on sacred ground. In the presence of this fire We are compelled To take up a torch, to carry...Chalice Lighting | By Chrystal Hogan | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: God, Goddess, Wonder -
The chalice is the container— the space where the musicians and the listeners gather. The oil is the fuel— the hours of practice and the life experiences of everyone in the room. The wick is the instruments and vocal cords through which the music will flow. And the flame—the flame!— is the...Chalice Lighting | By Marnie Singer | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Arts & Music, Direct Experience, Playfulness -
Reader One: You who feel your heart is breaking, come in. Reader Two: You who are confused and wondering. Come in. Reader Three: You who are angry, in pain, or not wanting to be here. Come in. Reader Four: You who are hopeful and energized. Come in. Leader: Come into this community of your heart...Chalice Lighting | By Amy Russell | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Community, Hope, Pain, Unitarian Universalism, Vulnerability -
Spirit of Life and Love, Holy One of our Being and our Becoming, That which is sacred Within, Among, and Beyond us… We have been blessed today by this community of compassion, comfort, and kindness. We’ve confessed that we've broken our vows a thousand times, and we have extended to and received...Prayer | By Mandie McGlynn | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Communion (Christian) -
While they were eating the Passover meal, Jesus took the bread in his hands and began to speak. “I am working to create infinite Justice, and I will never stop as long as I live.” He looked around at them. “But you know as well as I do that ‘as long as I live’ isn’t going to be very...Ritual | By Mandie McGlynn | October 24, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Communion (Christian) -
Background and overview for leaders: Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU) is calling on Unitarian Universalists to identify white supremacy in our faith and take the necessary steps to foster healing and move away from harmful practices....Curriculum | By Jaelynn Pema-la Scott | October 23, 2017 | From WorshipWeb -
Introduction This ritual is a beginning, a starting point, a first step taken towards each other. You will blend words, music, and movement while embracing the power of elements taken from the natural world....Ritual | By Carol Thomas Cissel | October 23, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Race/Ethnicity
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At sundown on Saturday, the Sabbath finally over, Mary Magdalene and the other women who loved Jesus began to prepare spices to pour over his body to honor him and say a final farewell. They were up all night, cooking and talking, and remembering his life....Story | By Mandie McGlynn | October 23, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Communion (Christian), Easter, Tradition, Transformation -
I invite you now into a time of meditation. You may wish to adjust your position: your feet flat on the ground, your body resting easily against the back of the chair, your hands gently open, palms up, resting on your thighs, your eyelids relaxed and half-closed, your breathing soft and easy.Meditation | By Martha Kirby Capo | October 23, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beauty, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Searching, Secular, Transcendence, Wonder -
Spirit of Life and of Love, Holy One that reaches wide to encompass all beings, Hold us to Yourself in this moment. We come to this place carrying so much in our hearts. Around us we hear the laments of a broken world, Torn by fire, storm and strife, Crying, “I too have suffered. I too have been...Prayer | By Rev. Molly Brewer | October 21, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Body, Direct Experience, Healing, Pain, Power, Salvation, Solidarity, Vulnerability, Wholeness, Women -
Beloved, as we depart this holy space nourished and renewed, let us live into our dreams and expand our circle of justice to encompass all of creation. Let us love one another and the earth, for as a body is animated through the relationships among its many parts, so God is made manifest among us...Benediction | By Mandie McGlynn | October 20, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Communion (Christian) -
The Congregational minister stopped me in the aisle of the supermarket a few months after I had unexpectedly recovered from a serious illness. With a gentle but slightly teasing smile he asked me, “How does a Unitarian deal with a miracle?” It was a good question, one which I thought about a...Meditation | By Barbara Rohde | October 19, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Body, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Good, Gratitude, Healing, Health, Wonder -
“If I ask you a question, do you promise to tell me the truth?" For future reference, if a child asks you this question at Christmas time, EVADE.Reflection | By Becky Brooks | October 18, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Awe, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Doubt, Faith, Humanism, Relationships, Searching, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder -
This Lamentation is for two voices: one white, and one person of color/indigenous (POCI). Both voices invite people to repeat a refrain several times: white voices say, “So much has been lost,” and voices of color say, “Beloved, you must not be defensive when you hear our hurt.” The latter,...Responsive Reading | By Erika Hewitt, Rebekah Savage | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Grief, History, Humanism, Listening, Multiculturalism, Pain, Personal Stories, Race/Ethnicity, Reconciliation, Secular, Unitarian Universalism
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When I was in middle school, I was taught that every person, to some extent, holds a set of prejudices that impact our perceptions of others. We were asked to think about what our prejudices might be, and how they might inform our relationships and our movement through the world....Homily | By DeReau K. Farrar | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Money, Multiculturalism, Pain, Personal Stories, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Reconciliation, Unitarian Universalism
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I play this moment over and over again in my head: the day I heard of the Thomas Jefferson Ball, hosted by Unitarian Universalists in 1993. As a person of color, raised in a UU congregation, I felt a shiver down my spine as I learned something new and unsettling about the faith that I call home....Homily | By Rebekah Savage | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Commitment, Direct Experience, History, Integrity, Listening, Living Our Faith, Multiculturalism, Pain, Personal Stories, Race/Ethnicity, Reconciliation, Unitarian Universalism
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The summer of 2016 began as an exciting one for me: I was finally going to a beloved Unitarian Universalist conference and retreat center. I’d heard many wonderful stories about it, and I couldn’t wait to bring my three children with me. On the drive there, I felt excited about spending a full...Homily | By Rayla D. Mattson | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Community, Direct Experience, Multiculturalism, Pain, Personal Stories, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism -
We are the ones we have been waiting for.* We are not perfect, but we are perfectly fitted for this day. We are not without fault, but we can be honest to face our past as we chart a new future. We are the ones we have been waiting for....Benediction | By Kimberly Quinn Johnson | October 15, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Commitment, Healing, Hope, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Multiculturalism, Purpose, Race/Ethnicity, Reconciliation, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism