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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Poem Try to Praise the Mutilated World , by Adam Zagajewski (translated from the Polish) Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June's long days, and wild strawberries, drops of wine, the dew. The nettles that methodically overgrow the abandoned homesteads of exiles. You must praise the...Homily | By Kathleen Hepler | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Beauty, Direct Experience, Judaism, Responsibility, Spirituality, Unity, Wonder, Yom Kippur -
Nor do I absolve my own self of blame; the human soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His mercy. Surah Yusuf (Arabic: يوسف) is the 12th sura (chapter) of the Quran.Quote | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: God, Humility, Islam, Responsibility
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God, make me a channel of thy peace, that where there is hatred, I may sow love; where there is wrong, the spirit of forgiveness; where there is discord, harmony; where there is error, truth; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there are shadows, light; where there is...Prayer | By St. Francis of Assisi | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Christianity, Forgiveness, God, Peace, Responsibility, Service
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Name Beyond All Names, Spirit of Love and Life, Eternal Presence, Great Mystery, Dear God......Prayer | By Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, John Gibb Millspaugh | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
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Service Leader: In our religious tradition, it is not just ministers and religious professionals who have power to bless. Each of us has the power to bless another, and to bless the world. Therefore I invite everyone here to participate in this blessing....Blessing | By John Gibb Millspaugh, Sarah Gibb Millspaugh | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Body, Caring, Creativity, Earth, Health, Hinduism, Joy, Love, Power, Relationships, Strength, Unitarian Universalism
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For if they are evil and we are not, if that's how we see things, then we are committing the same kind of error which led to this tragedy. That's the problem of evil. Not so much that it exists — in that it's really just a fact of life, or a force of nature. The problem of evil, as I see it, is...Sermon | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
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A child I know, when asked this week whether she would answer the call of her elementary school principal to wear red, white and blue clothes on Thursday, was in a quandary. She put down the crayon with which she was painstakingly trying to squeeze the words Peace is Possible onto the white bars...Sermon | By Victoria Safford | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Brokenness, Democracy, Nonviolence, Terrorism, War
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“I wondered about what I espoused as a pacifist and as a lover of life. As a Unitarian Universalist I dug for answers. But I had no answers. I still felt scared, horrified, hurt, angry, and shocked.”— Tom Capo How has this attack on our safe and secure country affected us? When a catastrophe...Sermon | By Tom Capo | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
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Once or twice a generation comes a tragedy so immense that our whole nation comes to a stop and some new day of infamy becomes ingrained upon our memory and calendars. Such a date now becomes September 11th. We fixate on the horror; and then fear, anger, and a kind of helpless despair follow, but...Sermon | By Peter S. Raible | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
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Conquer anger by love. —Dhammapada 223 The Dhammapada is an anthology of 423 verses uttered by Gauthama Buddha.Quote | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anger, Buddhism, Healing, Letting Go, Love, Wisdom
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.Quote | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, God, Hope, Justice, Peace, Religion
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In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other....Prayer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Connections, Globalism, Inclusion, Interdependence, Islam, Multiculturalism -
Look well to the growing edge! All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born. The fruit ripens on the tree, the roots are silently at work in the darkness of the earth against a time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms,...Quote | By Howard Thurman | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Challenge, Limitations, Strength
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May I become at all times, both now and forever A protector of those without protection A guide for those who have lost their way A ship for those with oceans to cross A bridge for those with rivers to cross A sanctuary for those in danger A lamp for those without light A place of refuge for thos...Prayer | By Shantideva | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Brokenness, Buddhism, Healing, Hope, Service, Wholeness
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I invite you to reach out and make contact with the person next to you, a hand on shoulder, hand in hand, arm in arm, arm around, that we might feel our human connection at this dreadful time of mourning. And I ask you to be silent with me in remembrance of those who died on Tuesday, Sept. 11, in...Sermon | By Elizabeth Ketcham | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
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Waiting is a window opening on many landscapes. For some, waiting means the cessation of all activity when energy is gone and exhaustion is all that the heart can manage. It is the long, slow panting of the spirit. For some, waiting is a time of intense preparation for the next leg of the journey.Meditation | By Howard Thurman | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Balance, Christianity, Courage, Doubt, Faith, Integrity, Letting Go, Limitations -
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for...Reading | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Christianity, God, Grace, Gratitude, Humility, Judaism
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Never does hatred cease by hating in return; only through love can hatred come to an end. Victory breeds hatred; the conquered dwell in sorrow and resentment. They who give up all thought of victory or defeat may be calm and live happily at peace. Let us overcome violence by gentleness; let us...Quote | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Buddhism, Commitment, Healing, Integrity, Love, Violence -
We gather together seeking meaning, yearning to understand life in all its dimensionsOpening | By Marni Harmony | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Community, Hope, Meaning, Reverence, Sacred, Searching, Unitarian Universalism
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The concern which I lay bare before God today is my need to be better: I want to be better than I am in my most ordinary day-by-day contacts: With my friends— With my family— With my casual contacts— With my business relations— With my associates in work and play. I want to be better than I...Meditation | By Howard Thurman | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, God, Growth, Humility, Integrity, Limitations