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.
Search Words for Worship Services
Toggle to filter resultsAvailable filters:
Changing a filter will refresh results (and remaining options) immediately. Searching by keyword or changing the number of items per page requires use of the "Search" button.
Displaying 951 - 1000 of 1063
-
"Humans are part of the web of life. What we do to the planet, what we do to other species, and what we do to other people, we end up doing to ourselves."...Quote | By John Robbins | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Interdependence, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility -
A person is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred, that of plants and animals as that of other men and women, and when one devotes oneself helpfully to all life that is in need of help.Quote | By Albert Schweitzer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Connections, Earth, Earth Day, Humanism, Interdependence, Sacred -
Source of Life who is known by many names; Over-turner and illuminator of hearts; We gather with gratitude for the earth and all who journey in it. We give thanks for the interconnectedness of all creation....Prayer | By Jessica Vazquez Torres | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Christianity, Dignity, Immigration, Interdependence, Islam, Justice, Justice Sunday, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism -
We know the story: an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds. The glory of the Lord shone around them. A great light descends on dark fields, happy angels and cherubim sing for joy, play their lutes, and dance about to defy the gravity of earthly cares....Meditation | By Teresa Schwartz | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Courage, God, Goddess, Mystery, Searching, Wonder -
As the year winds down to its close And we are submerged once again In the seasonal darkness we have come to know so well, We have reason to think back upon the year that was, If only because it will soon be gone....Meditation | By Mark Stringer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Forgiveness, Honesty, Letting Go, New Year, Winter, Winter Solstice / Yule -
"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is 'Thank You,' it will be enough" — Meister Eckhart Today we have set aside time to publicly say thank you to our siblings who have served in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy and Marines; to say 'Thank You' to all who served, whatev...Meditation | By Wren Bellavance-Grace | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Democracy, Healing, Service, Veterans Day, War
-
Each of us is a flower, with a delicate beauty uniquely our own. We may be like sunflowers, turning always towards the light. May our lives bloom like the flowers. We may be like night-blooming cereus, only displaying our fragrant petals when it is dark and we think no one can see. May our lives...Meditation | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beauty, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, Individualism, Nature
-
All violence is framed by blood. Our scars are the red line reminders— for the survivors, and all who follow later. See them, and do not turn away from the violence that drew them. Feel the scars you know, and hear the ones whispered about— They are guides. They are pathways, as much as they are...Meditation | By Kathleen McTigue, Eric Cherry | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Authority, Conscience, Courage, Disaster or Crisis, Discernment, Healing, Oppression, Politics, Responsibility, Violence, Wisdom
-
President: We at ______ welcome you as new members of our community this morning. You have come to worship, play, work and grow among us. Ours is a free fellowship; we have no creeds and you are free to bring your ideas and beliefs to this fellowship to share with others....Ritual | By Sarah C Stewart | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Children, Commitment, Community, Family, Inclusion, New Member Ceremony, Unitarian Universalism
-
Every year, the same conundrum: How do we find our way into Easter when, for us, the most important part about Jesus of Nazareth is his teachings, rather than his death? Like many traditional holidays, it must have some meaning to us beyond its commercial trappings. But what is that meaning,...Reading | By Ellen Cooper | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Death, Easter, Transformation
-
There are two things we can learn from a daffodil to help ourselves and each other.Time for All Ages | By Ruth E Gibson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Change, Earth, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, Growth, Nature, Spring, Strength, Transformation, Vernal Equinox, Wonder -
We light our chalice, symbol of our faith, For truth, sought through a questioning heart and an attentive mind; And for love, pursued through obstacles inside and outside our own human heart; And for forgiveness, and all it entails— The place where truth and love meet and merge.Chalice Lighting | By Vanessa Rush Southern | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Courage, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Judaism, Living Our Faith, Love, Relationships, Searching, Truth, Unitarian Universalism, Vulnerability, Yom Kippur -
In English This is a prayer for all the travelers. For the ones who start out in beauty, who fall from grace, who step gingerly, looking for the way back. And for those who are born into the margins, who travel from one liminal space to another, crossing boundaries in search of center. This is a...Meditation | By Angela Herrera | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Home, Journey, Multiculturalism, Partner Church Observation, Vision, Multiculturalism -
Am I a guest here. Here in this House. Are you? Are we guests here. Here in this House. And, whose House do we inhabit? In the small world of our lives the borders between us: easements, fences, gates, hedges—serve to delineate, to separate us. To remind us of where my property begins and ends.Reading | By Alicia R. Forde | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, History, Immigration, Indigenous Peoples Day, International, Responsibility, Secular, Anti-Oppression, Immigration -
Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, "Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. "Our sons shall not be...Reading | By Julia Ward Howe | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Mother's Day, Parents, Peace
-
We come together this morning as celebrants, as seekers and companions. We enter into this, the longest day, joyfully, allowing ourselves the beauty of this time together in which we may rest our cares and sorrows, and allow our hearts and spirits to be uplifted....Opening | By B Leslie Koons | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Balance, Beauty, Earth, Presence, Searching, Summer Solstice
-
The children being dedicated will take a walk around the sanctuary. Different church members and older children present in the pews will offer objects that will become a part of the child throughout the poem....Ritual | By Kate Howard | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Child Dedication, Children, Community, International, Joy, Parents, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism
-
I invite you to join me in a special ingathering ritual in which we will gather in energy and love from all directions. Your responsive call is the “Gathered Here” chant. Some of you will participate perhaps in a more metaphysical sense and for others your participation may be more metaphorical;...Opening | By Jane Altman Page | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Earth-Centered, Homecoming / Ingathering, Paganism, Water Communion
-
Opening Prayer As we draw together this evening, let us pause for moment to remember the faces of the many women who have gathered in this space to build a house for <name>....Blessing | By Carie J Johnsen | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Building/Space Dedication, Community, Family, Grace, Gratitude, Home, Interdependence, Love, New Home, Sacred, Strength, Unitarian Universalism
-
Minister: Today, we welcome into our community these new members, who have chosen to make a commitment to this congregation by signing our Membership Book....Ritual | By Laura Randall | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Commitment, Community, Covenant, Identity, Living Our Faith, New Member Ceremony, Unitarian Universalism, Unity
-
How clearly I remember it. My husband, Dan, and our daughter, Sarah, had spent the night in Taos, New Mexico. The next morning we set out for the pueblo, an ancient village inhabited by indigenous people known as the Pueblo. Clearly tourists, easily identified as European Americans, we were...Sermon | By Jan Carlsson-Bull | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), America, Anti-Oppression, Healing, History, Indigenous American, Indigenous Peoples Day, Race/Ethnicity, Secular, Anti-Oppression
-
Once upon a time, a girl named Ramona and a boy named Roberto had a wonderful dog. They named the dog Feliz because he was so happy when they came home from school each day. He bounded toward them, barking and tail wagging madly. His sandy brown coat was sort of wavy around the shoulders but...Reading | By Heather Lynn Hanson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Easter, Good Friday, Grief, Love
-
I was working with a group of young people at a Safe Schools conference in Boston. They were discussing how to tell their parents they were gay or lesbian. Many of them had suffered harassment, brutality, and ostracism by their peers, and they worried about how to protect their parents from the...Reading | By Elizabeth Tarbox | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Family, Good Friday, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Unitarian Universalism
-
May means Mother’s Day. I’m going to trust Hallmark and daddies and six year-olds and grown-up kids who are mommies themselves to honor the mothers among us as they deserve to be honored—with brass bands, flags flying, breakfast in bed (and kitchens cleaned up afterwards). I wish for those...Reading | By Katie Lee Crane | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Family, Fathers, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents -
[Note: We have a tradition of asking each person to bring to church on Mother’s Day a single flower—colored if she is still living, white if she has died. The flowers are arranged on the spot into a bouquet and brought into the service just before the Call to Worship. With a bow to Max Coots for...Ritual | By Judy Welles | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Mother's Day
-
(Tea lights are set up in groups of 50 on either side of the chancel in this ritual borrowed from Soulful Sundown.) The long Summer has faded, now, and these first days of November mark the beginning of the coming of Winter....Reading | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Souls Day, Community, Connections, Día de los Muertos, Family, Grief, Halloween, Letting Go, Relationships, Samhain -
I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit skittish about holidays that seem to have originated with the greeting card people. That's not true, in fact, of Mother's Day....Ritual | By Barbara Child | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, Reconciliation
-
Blessed are the heavens, for they declare the power of creation. Blessed is the earth, our beloved home, for she is a planet of plenitude. Blessed are the waters thereon, for they gave rise to living things. Blessed is the land, for it is the source of life abundant....Reading | By Richard S. Gilbert | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Earth Day, Nature
-
ALL: We come together as a living church. WORSHIP LEADER: We come together from different places as unique individuals. Our paths and the ways of our going are diverse, yet we share our journey....Responsive Reading | By Ruth E Gibson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Commitment, Community, Homecoming / Ingathering, Leadership, Parents, Teacher Dedication, Teacher Recognition, Unitarian Universalism
-
(From the East:) Brothers and sisters in creation, we covenant this day with you and with All creation yet to be; With every living creature and All that contains and sustains you; With All that is on the earth and with the earth itself; With All that lives in the waters and with the waters...Reading | By Sydney A Morris | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Earth Day, Paganism
-
The Wedding blessing is to be used with a wedding ritual of pouring water from two vessels into a common vessel, as an alternative to a unity candle....Ritual | By Tess Baumberger | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Commitment, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Unitarian Universalism, Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies, Wisdom
-
We wish for you a storm or two that you may enjoy the calm. We wish for you tranquility in time of trial. We wish you a cool breeze on a warm day, and pale white clouds that you may better appreciate the blueness of the sky. We wish you darkness that you may see the stars....Prayer | By Robert F Kaufmann | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Bridging Ceremony, Child Dedication, Children, Children's Sabbath, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Nature, New Child, Parents, Seven Principles, Unitarianism -
Minister: Surrounded by the animals we love, we remember with gratitude the pets, protectors, and animal companions who have blessed our lives. People: We give thanks for our childhood pets, who taught us to love and to cry. We give thanks for our children's pets, who help us to teach them...Responsive Reading | By Christine Robinson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Caring, Children, Direct Experience, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism -
Out of wood and stone, out of dream and sacrifice, the people build a home. Out of the work of their hands and hearts and minds, the people fashion a symbol and a reality. May this house be truly a place of meeting: meeting in warmth and joy and openness; meeting in courage and love and trust....Blessing | By Eileen B Karpeles | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Building/Space Dedication, Business Meetings, Courage, Generations, Hope, Inclusion, Love, Peace, Sacrifice, Silence, Sorrow, Trust
-
May the walls of this house be strong in the face of storms: Whether of winds or of words, whether of thunder or of tyranny. May the windows of this house be clear to the world's light: Whether of dawns or of daring, whether of sunsets or of stillness....Meditation | By Michael DeVernon Boblett | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Building/Space Dedication, Community, Friendship, Home, Hospitality, New Home
-
May your journey know joy and contentment and satisfaction.Meditation | By Dana E Worsnop | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Coming of Age
-
I am Unitarian, I live and work in this faith. Jesus is my guide And God is my help. We, humans, are all brothers/sisters, Our law is one: love. The goal of our work is shared, Happy are those of God's Kingdom...Meditation | By Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Faith, God, Love, Partner Church Observation, Purpose, Service, Unitarianism, Unity
-
(Hungarian first—English follows) Hol hit—ott szeretet Where there is faith there is love Hol szeretet—ott béke Where there is love there is peace Hol béke—ott áldás Where there is peace there is blessing Hol áldás—ott Isten Where there is blessing there is God Hol Isten—ott...Meditation | By Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Faith, God, History, Love, Partner Church Observation, Peace, Unitarianism
-
Here in this church, human beings have gathered for centuries seeking a higher purpose and deeper life than they could find alone. We are grateful today for each one of you, that you have found your way here, and that you have decided to make a commitment to this faith community. We hope that as...Reading | By Victoria Weinstein | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: New Member Ceremony
-
I pledge allegiance to the earth on which I stand, and to the environment of which I am a part, one planet in a Process, with soil, water and air like one body, indivisible, with resources to be cherished and protected by all.Reading | By Vern Barnet | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Environment
-
Emmanuel means "God is with us." Who is your Emmanuel? Who is your "God is with us," the one you were promised, the one you have been waiting for? For the ancient prophet Isaiah, he was a boy soon to be born who would guide the people of Judah back to peace and harmony with God....Meditation | By Sarah Movius Schurr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Advent, Beauty, Belief, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, God, Listening, Searching, Tradition, Transcendence, Winter Solstice / Yule, Wonder -
The world now has the means to end extreme poverty, we pray we will have the will. What is this prayer about? The Millennium Development Goals were established by the United Nations in 2000 to address issues like extreme poverty, education, gender equality, child mortality, women’s health,...Meditation | By Anonymous | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Poverty, United Nations Day
-
Spirit of Life, You call us to embody equity and freedom in our lives.Meditation | By Eric Cherry | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Compassion, Courage, Disaster or Crisis, Human Rights, International, Leadership, Oppression, Peace, Power, Solidarity, Suffering, Wisdom -
We reflect in thanksgiving this day for all those whose lives have nurtured ours.The life-giving onesWho heal with their presenceWho listen in sympathyWho give wise advice ......Meditation | By Victoria Weinstein | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Mother's Day
-
We invoke thy gentlest blessings, God, on all true lovers. We praise thee for the great longing that draws the souls of two persons together. We thank thee for the revealing power of love, and the glory of joyous celebrations. We thank thee for the universal ritual of sharing—sharing of love, and...Prayer | By Bettye A Doty | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Connections, Family, Friendship, Joy, Love, Table Grace, Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies
-
We gather this morning in celebration and appreciation. We rejoice in those true treasures and gifts of life that are beyond any price. We rejoice especially in the children of our church, for their music and their words, for their laughter and their song, and for the bright joy of their very...Meditation | By Sheldon W Bennett | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Flower Communion
-
Trees of Earth let bud your leaves let them open wide let them gently fall in annual cycle. Let fallen leaves make soft bed for Jesus at his birth and may leafy humus make renewal of our humanity....Meditation | By Andrew M Hill | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas
-
Thou who art the soul and heart of life, save us from fear—the fear of days and nights yet to be, the fear of the known and the unknown, the fear that builds high walls around our spirits and our lives, the fear that closes in and envelops us, the fear that nibbles at the edges of every...Meditation | By David A Johnson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Compassion, Courage, Despair, Discernment, Doubt, Faith, Fear, Freedom, Hope, Palm Sunday, Salvation -
The stone has got to be rolled back from the tomb again and again every year. Roll up your sleeves. He is not coming back, you know....Meditation | By Victoria Weinstein | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Easter
-
Spirit who is all things to us; Presence in which we live and move and breathe and have our being: What a gift to be here together, sharing our food, our spirit, ourselves! We ask no blessing upon this food, nor upon ourselves, because the blessing is always here, if we but pay attention....Prayer | By Elizabeth L Greene | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Food, Friendship, Gratitude, Table Grace