An unlit chalice on a church altar

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.

LEADER RESOURCE 2 Rituals to Welcome a New Child
a medieval window from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, depicting the Nativity
Islamic prayer beads or Subha inside the Süleymaniye Moque (Istanbul).
An altar filled with candles, photos, and flowers

Search Words for Worship Services

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Displaying 101 - 150 of 1057

  • May we whisper thank you for all that is good in our lives. (Thank you) May we shout thank you! for the abundance of blessings. (Thank you) May we feel thank you, thank you, thank you, deep within our hearts and around us right now. May we be thankful, down to our bones, for this time together....
    Prayer | By Debra Haffner | November 16, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Sleep will come upon our eyelids and they will not ever be lifted again.
    Poetry | By Jacob Trapp | November 12, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Death, Ending, Memorial Services, Mystery, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Help us to see that for the smallest, the humblest, the least of these burns the brightest star.
    Chalice Lighting | By Mary Shelden | October 28, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Christianity, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • The dead aren’t really dead; their stories are perpetually being told by the world around us.
    Reflection | By Tania Márquez | October 27, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: All Souls Day, Día de los Muertos, Interfaith, Worship
  • I was leaving my mom in another world, located far away from mine.
    Reflection | By Mike Adams | October 6, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: History, Identity, Indigenous American, Indigenous Peoples Day, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
  • Somehow, the things that are too much to bear alone are bearable together.
    Reflection | By Elizabeth Stevens | September 1, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Disaster or Crisis, Worship
  • Watershed moments are turning points, moments that permanently alter an understanding.
    Opening | By Martina Thompson | August 5, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Earth-Centered, Nature, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Church is for helping people stay human in the face of inhumane circumstances.
    Audio Recording | By Erika Hewitt, Elizabeth Stevens | August 2, 2021 | From WorshipLab
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Disaster or Crisis, Presence, Self-Care, Trauma, Worship Tips
  • When you doubt yourself or feel afraid; when you fail, as we all do at times, remember that spark—always there sustaining and revitalizing you.
    Blessing | By Rita Capezzi | July 28, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Bridging Ceremony, Young Adults, Youth/Teens, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We collectively share the sorrow of those individuals in the armed services who lost their lives in war.
    Prayer | By Jennifer Cottrill | July 27, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Death, Memorial Day, Military, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Sometimes it feels like Father’s Day is more about enshrining a myth than it is about facing the realities of fatherhood.
    Meditation | By Ryan Urie | July 26, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Children, Direct Experience, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Generations, History, Parents, Secular, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Čapek turned to the beauty of the countryside; to the beauty of flowers.
    Reading | By Teresa Schwartz, David Schwartz | June 16, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Flower Communion, Unitarianism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Help me live in gratitude for the LGBTQ+ ancestors who paved this road we walk and roll on.
    Reflection | By Li Kynvi | June 9, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Identity, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Worship
  • The words we cast to fill the silence left by one we loved never are enough.
    Poetry | By David Breeden | June 2, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Contemplation, Death, Grief, Meaning, Memorial Services, Silence
  • Breathe in for caregivers of all kinds who give of themselves to make other people’s lives better, more whole.
    Prayer | By Sara Goodman | June 2, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Family, Generations, Grief, Imagination, Mother's Day, Responsibility, Unitarian Universalism
  • Memorial Day is not to be celebrated. It is to be observed, scrutinized, and witnessed on behalf of the true witnesses of our human failure to love our neighbor as ourselves.
    Reflection | By George A Tyger | May 26, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: America, Death, Direct Experience, Family, Grief, Memorial Day, Military, Sacrifice, Secular, Service, Worship
  • Spirit of Life, spirit of earth, spirit of all that breathes and all that is: we love you.
    Prayer | By Laura Horton-Ludwig | May 3, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Responsibility, Stewardship, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We cannot begin to find ourselves without love.
    Opening | By Elizabeth Mount | April 12, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Children, Connections, Father's Day, Humanism, Interdependence, Love, Mother's Day, Parents, Relationships, Secular, Trust, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A triumph of love over death is the core of the Easter message.
    Reflection | By Rachel Lonberg | March 31, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Beauty, Christianity, Death, Easter, Joy, Love, Worship
  • Easter is a holiday of miracles.
    Opening | By Peggy Clarke | March 31, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Belief, Christianity, Easter, Hope, Love, Nature, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Let it be said by generations to come that when the pain of our separation was revealed, we moved closer to the promised land of our beloved community.
    Benediction | By Anya Sammler-Michael | March 22, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Challenge, Compassion, Disaster or Crisis, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Seven Principles, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • It can be a lonely time for those of us whose arms are empty.
    Meditation | By Amy Williams Clark | March 18, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Children, Direct Experience, Grief, Mother's Day, Mothers, Searching, Secular
  • A movement meditation for all ages
    Meditation | By Kimberlee Anne Tomczak Carlson | March 18, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Body, Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Children's Sabbath, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Growth, Imagination, Nature, Strength, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • I am afraid and exhausted from the constant fear. I don’t know who to trust for information about the virus.
    Ritual | By Kate Landis | March 16, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Brokenness, Death, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Grief, Healing, Hope, Secular, Solidarity, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Why do we so readily hand over what's priceless for a meager sum of money—or a major sum, for that matter?
    Reading | By Jill Duffield | March 5, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Character, Christianity, Ethics, Integrity, Leadership, Lent, Money, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Maundy Thursday means that followers of Jesus serve.
    Reading | By Jill Duffield | March 3, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Humility, Lent, Service, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • "Most of us have been led to believe that prophets 'foretell' the future. That is true, and it is also misleading. It is not the point here. Prophets are seers of the big patterns; they see what is always and forever true. Prophets like Isaiah know how God acts by watching and listening, and they...
    Quote | By Richard Rohr | February 25, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Contemplation, Courage, Discernment, God, Lent, Revelation
  • "There are two moments that matter. One is when you know that your one and only life is absolutely valuable and alive. The other is when you know your life, as presently lived, is entirely pointless and empty. You need both of them to keep you going in the right direction. Lent is about both. The...
    Quote | By Richard Rohr | February 25, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Christianity, Connections, Humility, Lent, Limitations, Self-Respect, Spirituality, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We are left with a new sense of ourselves as God’s people.
    Affirmation | By Walter Brueggemann | February 19, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, God, Lent, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Impermanence, mortality, ashes, dust: this is the truth of being human.
    Reflection | By Lora Brandis | February 17, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Christianity, Death, Discernment, Grief, Humility, Lent, Love, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • I've adopted the practice of spiritual reconnection with my ancestors to heal intergenerational trauma.
    Reflection | By Jabari S. Jones | February 10, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Diversity, Generations, Healing, History, International, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Transformation, Trauma, Worship
  • We gather because we need community to do all of this holy work.
    Affirmation | By Nicole McKay | January 23, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Grief, Interdependence, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Relationships, Remembrance Day, Seven Principles, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Holding people accountable for the impact of their behavior is not revenge; it’s what makes change and growth possible, and no real healing in community can come without it.
    Reflection | By Kristin Grassel Schmidt | January 13, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: America, Conflict, Democracy, Disaster or Crisis, Forgiveness, Humanism, Redemption, Responsibility, Seven Principles, Universalism, Worship
  • What’s the one word you hope will define your upcoming year?
    Reflection | By Tim Atkins | December 30, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Choice, Discernment, Identity, New Year, Spiritual Practice, Worship
  • The stories remind us there is still and always joy in this world, but it usually comes right alongside the struggle.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | December 16, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Hope, Joy, Searching, Worship
  • This is a "love saves" story.
    Reflection | By Paul S Sawyer | December 9, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Advent, Anger, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Compassion, Direct Experience, Humanism, Living Our Faith, Love, Psychology, Relationships, Respect, Responsibility, Self-Respect, Worship
  • This year, the Advent season seems particularly seized by a spirit of the expected, the longing.
    Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 2, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Advent, Children, Christianity, Hope, Living Our Faith, Parents, Purpose, Worship
  • Make sure, both at Christmastime and in other times, that you ask for that which you really want.
    Homily | By Megan Foley | December 1, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Advent, Belief, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Discernment, Generosity, Humanism, Listening, Meaning, Secular, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • May you rejoice in the unknown. May you hug uncertainty to you tight.
    Benediction | By David Breeden | November 24, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • The soul of America has yet to be born.
    Reading | By Peggy Clarke | November 16, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), America, Democracy, Generations, History, Humanism, Indigenous Peoples Day, July 4th, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular
  • Let us honor our ancestors by doing the work of living boldly, loving mightily, and creating heaven on earth.
    Benediction | By Leia Durland-Jones | November 16, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: All Souls Day, Family, Generations, History, Memorial Services
  • May today bring forth transformation in ourselves—from grief, healing; from memory, wholeness; and from celebration, love.
    Chalice Lighting | By Mira Mickiewicz | November 10, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Memorial Services, Remembrance Day, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Hope continues, uncertain and true, like candlelight, ready to spark again.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Kevin Jagoe | November 2, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Autumnal Equinox, Despair, Disaster or Crisis, Fall, Hope, Winter, Winter Solstice / Yule, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We light this chalice to kindle a flame of warmth as a reminder of the connection that draws us in to a community that opens us up.
    Chalice Lighting | By Amy Brooks | October 14, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice / Yule, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Like the sun moving toward the shortest day, each moment arises—and is gone before we know it.
    Meditation | By Lori Gorgas Hlaban | October 13, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Autumnal Equinox, Balance, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • May this chalice light guide us toward the courageous and openhearted apology, toward repair of relationships in our lives.
    Chalice Lighting | By Joanna Lubkin | October 1, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Forgiveness, Judaism, Relationships, Sacred, Yom Kippur, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • When we feel overwhelmed, we gather to find a path, to find new ways forward.
    Responsive Reading | By David Breeden | September 19, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Disaster or Crisis, Grief, Humanism, Memorial Services, Purpose, Searching, Secular, Strength, Stress, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • We are held by the great Book of Life, in which it is written that we will inevitably face deprivation and discomfort. Each among us must contemplate our own place in it all.
    Opening | By Leah Ongiri | September 15, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Judaism, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Advent is about the new story being written in our lives.
    Quote | By Jes Kast | September 10, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Christianity, God, Hope, Spirituality, Vulnerability, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • You are sacred, and that energy runs through your hands, through the hands of all Unitarian Universalists. You are part of that interdependent network.
    Ritual | By Austen Petersen | September 10, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Backpack Blessing, WorshipWeb, Worship