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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My vet said, “She's telling you thank you for letting her go.”Reflection | By Ndidi Achebe | October 12, 2022 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Animal Memorial, Animals, Death, Direct Experience, Grief, Letting Go, Love, Secular, Worship -
We scatter these remains to the earth returning creation unto itself.Ritual | By Marian Stewart | May 28, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Memorial Services, WorshipWeb, Worship -
Out of mystery we are born, and mystery receives us when we die.Blessing | By Michelle Buhite | March 24, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Character, Death, Ending, Memorial Services, Mystery, WorshipWeb, Worship -
There was an audible gasp when they heard he* was gone A whoosh of air that sounded exactly like the bottom falling out of his mother’s** world the winds of mortality brushing his father’s** face the last breath of a kind soul All the years of struggle have settled into silence: Unsought,...Poetry | By Lindasusan Ulrich | January 14, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Grief, Love, Memorial Services -
Sleep will come upon our eyelids and they will not ever be lifted again.Poetry | By Jacob Trapp | November 12, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Ending, Memorial Services, Mystery, WorshipWeb, Worship
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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 WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Memorial Day, Military, WorshipWeb, 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 WorshipWebTagged as: Contemplation, Death, Grief, Meaning, Memorial Services, Silence -
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/WiserTagged as: America, Death, Direct Experience, Family, Grief, Memorial Day, Military, Sacrifice, Secular, Service, Worship -
A triumph of love over death is the core of the Easter message.Reflection | By Rachel Lonberg | March 31, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Beauty, Christianity, Death, Easter, Joy, Love, 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 WorshipWebTagged as: #COVID19, Brokenness, Death, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Grief, Healing, Hope, Secular, Solidarity, WorshipWeb, Worship -
Impermanence, mortality, ashes, dust: this is the truth of being human.Reflection | By Lora Brandis | February 17, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Christianity, Death, Discernment, Grief, Humility, Lent, Love, Spiritual Practice, Worship -
Spirit of Life, Spirit of Love, we come today carrying our grief, our memories, and our love. We gather around screens and devices, reaching out with our minds and hearts to join in this most ancient of human customs: honoring one whom we loved who has died....Prayer | By Laura Horton-Ludwig | July 1, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #COVID19, Death, Grief, Love, Memorial Services -
As my body begins to loose its hold On this life, this earth, this entirety, May I lay my past to rest And face the unknowable With courage and curiosity. May those to whom I am connected gather. May they recall me as I am and have been....Prayer | By Tess Baumberger | January 16, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Death, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Grief, Humanism, Meaning, Memorial Services, Mystery, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Remembrance Day, Secular -
As we kindle this the flame, we honor and remember Those who have passed into the mystery. Their brightness lives on in our vision; their courage lives on in our commitments; and their love continues to bless the world through us.Chalice Lighting | By Florence Caplow | October 31, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Connections, Death, Generations, History, Humanism, Mystery, Samhain -
Think of where you feel safe and at peace. What’s the signal that tells you it’s okay to be at peace? (Ask for answers.) For people in the United States military, there’s a special signal that says “you’re okay, and you’re at peace.” It's a melody called "Taps," and it's only 24 notes...Time for All Ages | By Erika Hewitt, Paul S Sawyer | May 21, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Death, History, Memorial Day, Military, Secular -
Spirit of Life and Love: Under the vast spiral of time and space, surrounded by the simple blessings of a community of care and love, we carry these memories of (our beloved) with us back to the community and life they* loved. We pray: Grant us strength, wisdom, and thanksgiving....Prayer | By Joel Miller | March 3, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Love, Memorial Services, Remembrance Day -
And so I bury my cauldron today I fill it full of salt and place it in the warm earth. Cradle it Persephone! Hold and rock and heal this womb. Take my woes and transform them. I was supposed to be this perfect gateway, and hold the balance of life and death. Well I held life, for a brief moment.Prayer | By Rebecka Clement | January 22, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Birth, Courage, Death, Grief, Healing, Letting Go, Love, Memorial Services, Mothers, Nature, Reverence -
This has been published with "they/their" pronouns; please use the most fitting pronoun in your setting. Claimed by death, we remember [Name]'s life Blessings for a life well lived Blessings for their peaceful departure Blessings for their shared friendships Blessings for their humor and wisdom...Blessing | By Addae Ama Kraba | January 17, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Death, Ending, Gratitude, Grief, Journey, Letting Go, Love, Memorial Services, Sacred, Transcendence -
In my small-town congregation, our beloved dead seem to linger with us for a little while.Reflection | By Elea Kemler | October 31, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), All Souls Day, Awe, Death, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Generations, Grief, Love, Memorial Services, Mystery, Remembrance Day, Sorrow -
God of our hearts, God of our understandings, God who gives us hope and inspires us to commitment, God who commands us to remember: We come together today with hearts contrite and broken; We come together with minds awake, comprehension striving against incomprehension; We come together in hope...Prayer | By Paul Oakley | August 3, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, God, Holocaust Remembrance / Yom Ha'Shoah, Judaism, Solidarity, Suffering -
We all take part in this ancient play. At some time. There is no other way. At some time… Thieves, guilty of poor choices caught red-handed in our human reality. One points at the other and says, “You: save me.” The other bows his head. “I accept responsibility. The mistakes I’ve made are...Meditation | By Rebecca Bryan | June 18, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Brokenness, Christianity, Death, Good Friday, Grief, Humanism, Responsibility
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Spirit of life and love, God of memory, mourning and history, Bring before us the truths of serving in war Bring before us— In compassion and in gratitude— Those who faced violence so we may know peace We remember these sacrifices through monuments We remember these names, carved into stone...Prayer | By Heather K Janules | May 29, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), America, Death, Grief, Memorial Day, Military, War -
Gracious God, the week was filled with moments when words escaped me. They would not come. Forgive me, Holy One —I know it is the preacher’s job, but there were moments when I just did not know how to pray. First, at the hospital, labor and delivery, to see the new parents. The overnight bag sat...Prayer | By Lori Walke | February 19, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 6th Principle (World Community), Activism, Birth, Christianity, Death, Direct Experience, Disaster, Disaster or Crisis, Spiritual Practice, Violence -
"We want our children back. There are too many gone too soon." In December 2017, Rev. Jason Shelton was invited to lead singing at the fifth anniversary of the Newtown massacre, at a vigil in front of the headquarters of the NRA. He wrote this song of lament for the occasion, because he couldn’t...Music | By Jason Shelton | February 17, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Children, Death, Direct Experience, Disaster, Disaster or Crisis, Parents, Sadness, Violence -
Holy One, on this day of remembrance we say aloud their names again: the names of those who died this year. Died — the word is jarring. So jarring that we hardly use the word, substituting euphemisms that are a bit more vague. Sometimes people say “lost” when what they mean is dead: “We lost...Prayer | By Lori Walke | January 4, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), All Souls Day, Death, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Grief, Honesty, Love, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Remembrance Day -
Remembering is the art of holding a memory and sharing it; it’s drawing upon that memory so it can help us to grow into people who live lives of meaning and service. As a practice, remembering connects us deeply to each other and to the love that sustains us.Reflection | By Elizabeth Harding | August 23, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Community, Death, Direct Experience, Family, Friendship, Grief, Humanism, Love, Memorial Services, Remembrance Day, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
From the time I was a baby, my mother often displayed her love for me by reciting a list of endearments such as: mi chiquitica linda, mi preciosa, mi criaturita hermosa, mi alegría, la hija más amada en el mundo, el tesoro de mi corazón. Loosely translated, her litany would go like this: my cute...Reflection | By Lilia Cuervo | May 10, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Aging, Children, Death, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Humanism, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Secular -
I do not know where we go when we die; And I do not know what the soul is Or what death is or when or why. What I know is that The song once sung cannot be unsung, And the life once lived cannot be unlived, And the love once loved cannot be unloved.Closing | By Kenneth W. Collier | April 27, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Agnosticism, Animal Memorial, Death, Direct Experience, Faith, Humanism, Memorial Services, Purpose
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If we are lucky, we will all get a chance during our life to know someone who becomes for us an exemplar of living. And if we are really lucky, we will recognize how they ended up passing on some of their goodness to us. If we are lucky. But one thing is certain. No one – not one of us –...Chalice Lighting | By Greg Ward | April 25, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Grief, Living Our Faith, Memorial Services, Unitarian Universalism -
Our grief is a holy thing. It is that proof that another life touched ours in a profound way. It is the mark of love, the mark of connection, and the mark of a life well lived. We will mourn, we will cry, we will miss (Name)....Closing | By Tracie Barrett-Welser | April 25, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Grief, Memorial Services, Relationships, Sacred -
We don't live into our redemption very much, or get to win the fight over death. Jesus’ resurrection is a symbol and a promise that we are redeemed and that death’s dominion is not the final word. On Easter the Deep Magic breaks through. We proclaim and sing that love’s redeeming work is done...Quote | By Sarah C Stewart | April 14, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Christianity, Death, Easter, Living Our Faith, Love, Purpose, Redemption, Salvation -
I invite you to rise in body or in spirit, and join hands with your neighbors. Hands touch hands. These hands you hold now, once held _________’s hands. Hand by hand we touch those who are here with us, and those who are no longer with us. And hand over hand, we touch all of humanity. Let our...Benediction | By Matt Alspaugh | April 6, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Connections, Death, Memorial Services, Relationships -
Leader: We're not sure what happened. But, we know what it's like when someone appears whose message we feel offers hope, who inspires us with new ways of living....Responsive Reading | By Daniel Budd | March 14, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Christianity, Death, Doubt, Easter, Faith, Mystery, Sorrow, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder -
We offer blessings for life and the end of life. Blessings for the dying. Blessings for the caregiver, holding love and carrying burden. Blessed is the Body. Youth claimed by death. Elder claimed by death. Blessed is all creation moving toward one ending in order to begin again. Let us Bless the...Blessing | By Natalie Maxwell Fenimore | January 1, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, All Souls Day, Animal Memorial, Caring, Change, Death, Direct Experience, Empathy, Grief, Journey, Judaism, Letting Go, Love, Memorial Services, Remembrance Day, Secular, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism -
We remember the joys our departed gave us which opened us up to the life shared which is now ours to steward.Meditation | By Leslie Takahashi | December 8, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Death, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Family, Generations, Grief, Immanence, Life Transition, Memorial Services, Mystery, Spirituality, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness -
They once dwelled among us, the people of memory.Responsive Reading | By Heather K Janules | October 24, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Death, Día de los Muertos, Family, Generations, Gratitude, Memorial Services, Samhain -
For those we miss. For things long gone. For those who or what we last held in our arms, in our hands and in our hearts — we pray. We pray for memories to stay strong Memories of words and warmth, of actions and stillness. We pray for Love shared and lived, Love to remain with us and with them,...Prayer | By Patricia Shelden | April 13, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Souls Day, Animal Memorial, Brokenness, Death, Ending, Grief, Healing, Letting Go, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Remembrance Day -
In this hour of holy stillness we gather to honor the life and the person we love. In this hour of Holy Stillness we remind ourselves that the flames of life and love are never fully extinguished. In this hour of Holy Stillness we offer ourselves for sharing the weight of each other’s grief. In...Opening | By Patricia Shelden | April 13, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Animal Memorial, Death, Día de los Muertos, Ending, Grief, Healing, Holocaust Remembrance / Yom Ha'Shoah, Letting Go, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Sadness -
Spirit of spring and new life, spirit of decay and death, We turn to your wisdom and strength as we seek to live lives of meaning and love. The cycle of life is powerful. Everything that lives, dies. Everything that dies has lived. There is no escaping this cycle. What then, can we learn from its...Prayer | By Cathy Rion Starr | March 28, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Beauty, Community, Contemplation, Death, Earth, Earth-Centered, Easter, Growth, Spring, Vernal Equinox -
I saw the parade pass by with the last soldier marching. I saw politicians stand by not in pride, but in shame as they recited the names of the dead and admitted their failure. I saw the marching band step in time to silence, no more hymns of glory could they play. I saw mothers and fathers say,...Meditation | By David M. Horst | January 25, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Arrogance, Death, Direct Experience, Ending, History, Memorial Day, Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, War, WorshipWeb -
December twenty-first, the Winter Solstice. (The point along the Earth’s annual solar orbit when the northern hemisphere is at its furthest point from the sun). The last harvest of the year is celebrated shortly before the Winter Solstice. In ancient times people would feast knowing the months...Image | By Ralph Yeager Roberts | November 23, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Advent, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Death, Earth, Earth-Centered, Nature, Winter, Winter Solstice / Yule -
In honor of those who have served, And those who continue to serve, At home and abroad, for peace and in war, We light our chalice, And we offer our thanks.Chalice Lighting | By Cynthia Landrum | November 11, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Conflict, Death, Freedom, Gratitude, Memorial Day, Military, Military Service, Peace, Sacrifice, Secular, Service, Veterans Day, War -
We light this flame As our fervent plea to brighten the dark corners of our hearts; We hold this flame For in it is the promise of warmth for souls grown cold in loss and despair; We kindle this light That we might continue to find comfort in its warmth; strength in its light; holiness in its...Chalice Lighting | By S. William Feiss | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Souls Day, Animal Memorial, Death, Día de los Muertos, Forgiveness, Healing, Love, Meaning, Memorial Services, Purpose, Sacred, Samhain, Sorrow, Strength, Truth -
Now the autumn shudders In the rose's root, Far and wide the ladders Lean among the fruit. Now the autumn clambers Up the trellised frame And the rose remembers The dust from which it came. Brighter than the blossom On the rose's bough Sits the wizened orange, Bitter berry now; Beauty never...Poetry | By Edna St. Vincent Millay | August 26, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Autumnal Equinox, Beauty, Death, Earth-Centered, Fall, Humility, Samhain -
Night has its own kind of beauty, different than the beauty of day. Night is a time of sleep and dreams and inward visions, A time of pause within activity. Darkness is an invitation to imagining and storytelling, And to using ears instead of eyes to listen to the world in its stillness....Meditation | By Gary Kowalski | June 3, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Beauty, Death, Earth-Centered, Imagination, Listening, Mystery, Searching, Silence, Solitude, Summer Solstice, Vision, Winter Solstice / Yule -
Today I have too many friends who are dying. Sometimes at a memorial service I feel dissatisfied, and I’m the preacher in charge. I realize I can’t figure out how to preach my view of resurrection. I know that people would want to hear it, I’m not worried about offending or confusing anyone. I...Meditation | By Meg Barnhouse | May 28, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Death, Direct Experience, Family, Friendship, Happiness, Honesty, Intimacy, Love, Memorial Services, Nature, Peace, Truth -
Dear God: Good Friday is gone—a dark day on the calendar, A time of suffering—with more losses than gains, And more pain than we thought we could bear. We are tired of crying, We are tired of burying, We are tired of mourning. But Easter is here—and we who survived are prepared For the turning...Meditation | By David O. Rankin | May 28, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beginnings, Death, Easter, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Pain, Sorrow, Transformation
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On this green bank, by this soft stream, We place with joy a votive stone, That memory may their deeds redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. —Ralph Waldo Emerson A green heron stands motionless on the bank of Emerson’s soft stream. In its beak it holds a fish, just the right size for...Meditation | By Stephen M. Shick | May 27, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Death, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Environment, Generations, History, Nature, Reverence, Sacrifice, Stewardship -
The first time I ever played “Taps” was at summer camp when I was ten years old. That was the year I started playing trumpet, so I can only imagine how it sounded. I know there was no way that I could have hit the high note near the end. The first time I played Taps in honor of those who died...Reading | By Paul S Sawyer | May 11, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Death, Direct Experience, Grief, History, Memorial Day, Military, Military Service, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular, Veterans Day, War
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When my youngest daughter was about two years old she came across a tattered paperback on our bookshelves, Ten Thousand Baby Names, and for a little while this was her favorite book. Drawn by the shining face of the baby on the cover, she brought it to me over and over and demanded that I read...Meditation | By Kathleen McTigue | May 6, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Birth, Children, Death, Direct Experience, Fathers, Identity, Love, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships