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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

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Displaying 121 - 140 of 1062

  • A U.S. Army Honor Guard in dress uniform lower a coffin into the ground.
    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
  • the silhouette of a person, taken from some distance, under a bright night sky with the Milky Way stars in bright colors.
    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
  • Against a vibrant, deep red wall, a Black parent cradles and smiles down at a happy toddler.
    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
  • Outdoors, and seen from behind, a person with short gray hair wears a colorful hat with tulle and pink flowers.
    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
  • A field of purple flowers, in Latvia, with small lights reflected on them.
    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
  • A close-up of the stacked hands of about five people, standing in a circle.
    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
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    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
  • Majestic Tree with strong roots
    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
  • The back of a person as they regard a wall, lit by a stark fluorescent light, on which many medical face masks are hung.
    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
  • Stained glass detail from a window in the Sainte Chapelle, Paris, showing Judas handing over a bag of silver.
    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
  • A hand cupping a person's foot in the process of footwashing during a Maundy Thursday Mass.
    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
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    "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
  • Seen from the side, an open book with gilded pages and ribbon bookmarks, implied to be a Bible.
    "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
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    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
  • A woman slighty bows her head as a priest's hand moves away, having just left a cross of ashes on her forehead.
    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
  • A black man in a dark space looks sideways into the camera. Across his face, in colored light, the letters A G C T represent DNA nucleotides.
    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
  • Wreaths of red poppies lying at the World War One British memorial to the missing of the Somme (in Thiepval, France).
    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
  • As protestors with a large US flag climb on the U.S. Capitol in the background, a man in a hat and sweatshirt is helped by other protestorsgets to rinse his eyes, presumably from tear gas.
    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
  • "2021" is written in the snow on a gravel surface outdoors.
    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
  • a child smiles up in wonder amid multiple vertical strings of light
    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