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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We are the recipients of an incredible gift and a beautiful vision.Offering | By Alice Anacheka-Nasemann | December 12, 2023 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Souls Day, Building/Space Dedication, Canvass/Pledge, Commitment, Generations, Gratitude, History, Homecoming / Ingathering, Humanism, Leadership, New Member Ceremony, Samhain, Vision, WorshipWeb, Worship -
All that we are, together and individually, is part of the abundance of the universe.Responsive Reading | By Julián Jamaica Soto | November 11, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Canvass/Pledge, Connections, Earth, Earth-Centered, Gratitude, Interdependence, Stewardship, WorshipWeb, Worship -
We are leaving a space that has been made holy.Prayer | By Julie Taylor | January 3, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Building/Space Dedication, Ending, Gratitude, WorshipWeb, Worship -
Ask yourself, in your heart: What or who are you grateful for?Meditation | By Susan Frederick-Gray | November 23, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Connections, Gratitude, Spiritual Practice, Thanksgiving, WorshipWeb, Worship -
And still, we are grateful.Prayer | By Connie Simon | November 22, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #COVID19, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, WorshipWeb, Worship -
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 WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, WorshipWeb, Worship -
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 -
For the new year, just days old, beginning today, always beginning: We light our chalice, symbol of faith, perseverance, and hope, in astonished thanksgiving and irrepressible praise. For beginnings that emerge out of endings, appear amidst continuity, become visible in hindsight: We light our...Chalice Lighting | By Lisa Doege | January 8, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beginnings, Faith, Gratitude, Homecoming / Ingathering, Hope, New Year, Unitarian Universalism -
As we begin a new year together, let us offer our blessing to the lay leaders who invest their time and care in the well-being of this congregation. If you help lead a ministry here, I invite you to rise in body, in spirit, in all the ways that we do. And I invite all of us to enter a spirit of...Prayer | By Lindasusan Ulrich | September 9, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Gratitude, Homecoming / Ingathering, Leadership, Unitarian Universalism -
We pray to you, Mother Earth, with gratitude For your holding and sustaining love For the air, water, and soil that feed us For the mountains and rivers and oceans that calm our spirits For loving and supporting all beings and all creation. We pray to you, Mother Earth, with humility Help us to...Prayer | By Lucy Bunch | June 20, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Beauty, Connections, Courage, Discernment, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Interdependence, Paganism, Strength -
Let us imagine for a moment that our lives are like the baskets that our children will use after the service to collect colorful eggs and candy. And as we welcome that imaginative connection, let us pause for a moment to accept a blessing....Blessing | By Lucas Hergert | May 27, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Awe, Beauty, Community, Compassion, Easter, Family, Generosity, Gratitude, Happiness, Joy -
Note: Lisa Maria has provided instructions, below, to make this litany interactive and fun. One of her suggestions entails inviting an added written response from members of the congregation. #1: We celebrate the memory of winter’s sleep and the quieting of our souls. Response: Sing praises for...Litany | By Lisa Maria Andreoli Steinberg | April 9, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Beauty, Easter, Gratitude, Meaning, Spring -
Ours is a spiritual community where we find and forge connection. We trust in the strength of our mutual support, knowing how it has sustained us, day after day, year after year. Today we hold in the light: _________ and we lift up: _________ Now you are invited to recall the names of persons or...Meditation | By Kelly Murphy Mason | March 27, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Community, Compassion, Faith, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Joys & Concerns, Love, Sorrow, Trust -
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 -
This work isn’t all prayers and beautiful moments, nor is it laments and trauma. It’s not even both/and, because this work is something greater than you, greater than us, greater than the whole of those we serve. This work is a calling. And we’re doing it. Day after day, night after night,...Blessing | By Andrea Hawkins-Kamper | January 16, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Calling, Challenge, Commitment, Compassion, Courage, Grace, Gratitude, Healing, Installations, Ministry, Ordinations, Vulnerability, Worship -
One: On Labor Day we honor our work, physical and mental, paid and unpaid, joyous and heartbreaking. Many: We give thanks for work’s gifts, suffer its difficulties, and strive to make labor just and joyous for all. One: Our work can build our society, provide for our material needs, and give our...Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | December 7, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Character, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Integrity, Labor Day, Living Our Faith, Meaning, Purpose, Service, Unitarian Universalism, Work -
In recognition of Labor Day, we light this flame to honor all work, Including the work of our hands hands and our backs, in gratitude for all the labors that support our world, and for all those who boldly continue the work of justice, equity, and peace.Chalice Lighting | By Florence Caplow | December 5, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Community, Gratitude, Interdependence, Labor Day, Responsibility, Secular, Service -
Of all the gifts in all the world, for love we are grateful. Of all the gifts in all the world, for helping hands we are grateful. Of all the gifts in all the world, for food we are grateful. May we remember that the best gifts don't arrive wrapped in paper or bows....Affirmation | By Amy Kindred | December 5, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Direct Experience, Family, Food, Gratitude, Presence, Table Grace -
Water unites us. All water is one water, shape-shifting as it goes on and on in its unending cycle. The stream we gather by unites us with all the waters of the world, for all of life depends on water. That's why this common, everyday element on which our very lives depend is sacred. In our...Affirmation | By Mel Hoover, Rose Edington | August 21, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Body, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Gratitude, Interdependence, Nature, Responsibility, Stewardship, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion, Climate Justice -
We light our chalice this morning in the spirit of gratitude, Thankful for years of ministerial service to this church, For celebrations of life and death, dedications, and communions, For leading worship, grounding our congregation in spiritual practice, Helping us to navigate the wonders and...Chalice Lighting | By Nick Wilbourn | August 3, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Ending, Gratitude, Leadership, Ministerial Transition, Ministry, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism -
Rejecting literal readings of what we insist is only a myth, we look to nature and religions close to the earth for alternative stories of the season. Explaining away troublesome details—the empty tomb, Jesus' appearance to the women and the disciples—we tell a story that appeals to reason.Meditation | By Lisa Doege | June 18, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Christianity, Easter, Gratitude, Hope, Reason, Transformation
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We light our chalice as a symbol of gratitude as we celebrate the abundance of our lives together. In this sanctuary we harvest bushels of strength for one another, and offer our crop with the hands of compassion and generosity....Chalice Lighting | By Katie Sivani Gelfand | May 31, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Christianity, Communion (Christian), Community, Generosity, Grace, Gratitude, Stewardship, Strength, Table Grace, Thanksgiving, Unitarian Universalism -
Let us give thanks for a bouquet of people. We give thanks for children. Like tulips and iris, they multiply around us, making the world ever more filled with color, beauty, and new life. May we bless them as they replant themselves ever further from us, knowing that they need their own space to...Prayer | By Claire Feingold Thoryn | May 11, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Community, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, Friendship, Gratitude, Humanism, Nature, Secular -
A: Because the tides are rising B: So must we C: Rise! A: to this moment C: Rise! B: to this day C: Rise! A: to this life B: This place in the web A: That is yours, and ours. C: Rise! B: Because the earth remains A: Our only home C: And we B: Fellow travelers A: Its only hope C: For healing B:...Opening | By Gretchen Haley | February 15, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Beauty, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Gratitude, Nature, Responsibility, Climate Justice -
Image | By Tim Atkins, Jessica Ferguson | February 9, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Gratitude, Valentine's Day -
Image | By Tim Atkins, Jessica Ferguson | February 9, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Agnosticism, Atheism, God, Gratitude, Love, Paganism, Playfulness, Unitarian Universalism, Valentine's Day -
Let us ground ourselves in gratitude: using the colorful paper and something to write with, we prepare for our Gratitude Confetti ritual. Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/on-being-column-the-hardship-we-accept/"…; I encourage myself to remember that being grateful...Ritual | By Karen G. Johnston | January 23, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beginnings, Ending, Gratitude, Humanism, Integrity, New Year, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
Hold fast to summer. Enjoy with heightened appreciation these still-warm September days. Create more memories, take more pictures. Enjoy a bit of denial. Suck all the summer sweetness out of your sun-warmed garden tomatoes. Smile at someone. Squeeze a hand. Put up some jam or pickles....Affirmation | By Ben Soule | December 14, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Autumnal Equinox, Beauty, Earth, Earth-Centered, Gratitude, Joy, Nature, Summer, Wonder -
It is always good to give thanks! All that we have is a gift from life: our food, our relationships, our shelter from the cold. And when we give thanks, it is always good to be mindful of all people, and notice those who are suffering and do what we can to ease suffering and change its causes....Opening | By Myke Johnson | November 23, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Anti-Oppression, Gratitude, Healing, Justice, Spiritual Practice, Suffering, Thanksgiving, Vulnerability, Wholeness
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At last, we are here. After a long winter, we can say enthusiastically and without second thought, alleluia! Alleluia, spring is here in all her glory. New life begins, the earth and its creatures are resurrected from their dens of hibernation and dark slumber....Opening | By Jeanne Lloyd | August 11, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Christianity, Earth, Earth-Centered, Easter, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Reverence, Spring, Transformation -
Dearly beloved, the story is told that a man named Jesus dined nearly two thousand years ago among his disciples on the eve of his arrest and crucifixion. Some say that Jesus took bread, spoke of it as his body, broke it into pieces and passed it among them to eat....Blessing | By Barnaby Feder | December 8, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Christianity, Communion (Christian), Community, Earth, Faith, Food, Generosity, God, Gratitude, Hospitality, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality -
Today, we're thankful for you and what you bring to our church. Your spirit, talents, generosity, imagination, and dedication reaffirm our fellowship and create our Beloved Community. Our heartfelt thanks to you on this day and for all days to come. For those who embrace Thanksgiving as a day to...Blessing | By Gwen Matthews | November 30, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Abundance, Caring, Community, Family, Gratitude, Grief, Humanism, Love, Oppression, Sacred, Secular, Sorrow, Thanksgiving, Unitarian Universalism
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This blessing was written in honor of two Unitarians, Martha and Waitstill Sharp, who during WWII dared to risk their own comfort in order to help save the lives of those in desperate need. As we gather together, May we remember When you share with me what is most important to you, That is where...Blessing | By Andrée Mol | November 30, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Abundance, Compassion, Courage, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Hospitality, Justice, Listening, Love, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Sacrifice, Salvation, Thanksgiving, Unitarianism -
The wheel of the year has turned again. Once more the Thanksgiving season has arrived. How shall we sing our song of gratitude now? For what shall we give thanks? For this moment; for friends near and far; for our breath; for love; for courage and clarity; for strength; for delight; for laughter;...Opening | By Laura Horton-Ludwig | November 30, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Arts & Music, Awe, Direct Experience, Generations, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, Wonder -
We gather here today to share and give thanks, To tell stories and break bread and be together in holy communion. We light our chalice this morning in the spirit of thanksgiving, With love, hope, and generosity of spirit, Grateful for this blessed opportunity to be together.Chalice Lighting | By Nick Wilbourn | November 25, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Communion (Christian), Gratitude, History, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism
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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 -
Let’s start with the people we love and those who love us, thankful they are in our lives obliging us to open our hearts. Let open hearts embrace the Earth, the sea and soil and stars, blessed by bold beauty, the bounty of being. Then with hearts open to beauty let us embrace the arts and the...Poetry | By Swiftwalker | October 19, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Beauty, Earth, Earth-Centered, Grace, Gratitude, Humanism, Relationships, Thanksgiving, Unitarian Universalism, Wisdom
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Spirit of Life and Love, known by many names and yet fully known by none, we give thanks for this time and this place of renewal. We give thanks for the ability to begin again: after the disaster, after the tragedy, after the loss, after meeting the challenge set before us....Prayer | By Lyn Cox | September 22, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Courage, Disaster or Crisis, Diversity, Gratitude, Homecoming / Ingathering, Hospitality, Journey, New Year, Reconciliation, Rosh Hashanah, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism, Yom Kippur -
For the blessing of animal companions we give thanks. For the beautiful ones, those whose fur is silky and whose tails are long; whose feathers are brilliant or whose voices are splendid... we give thanks. For the frantic ones, the runts and the hungry, who run for a food bowl or a pat as though...Blessing | By Maureen Killoran | September 18, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Caring, Direct Experience, Family, Generosity, Gratitude, Interdependence, Love, Nature, Relationships, Responsibility, Secular -
Come hoof and trunk and tail and horn and paw and wing and claw; Come bird and reptile, mammal born all full of nature’s law. Bring bark and crow and ribbit, too and silent stare and hiss; Bring purr and trill and warble, too and voice no ear can miss....Opening | By Ian W. Riddell | July 30, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Animal Blessing, Animals, Earth-Centered, Gratitude, Nature, Secular -
I understand participation in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a spiritual practice or discipline. While the word discipline may want to make us run and hide, a spiritual practice or discipline is meant to help us find our center. Approaching my participation in the CSA as a spiritual...Reading | By Nicole Janelle | July 10, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Community, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Family, Food, Food Justice, Gratitude, Nature, Spiritual Practice, Summer Solstice, Table Grace, Wonder -
We light this chalice for mothers and mothering; to celebrate those who have taken on the task of nurturing a young one-baby, child, or youth-into adulthood; to celebrate those who have nourished the light of truth and compassion in growing minds and hearts; to celebrate those who have committed...Chalice Lighting | By Claudene (Deane) Oliva | May 4, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Children, Commitment, Education, Family, Fathers, Generations, Gratitude, Love, Mother's Day, Mothers, Parents, WorshipWeb -
This script is intended to take place over the arc of a worship service or children's chapel. People Needed: Narrator (can be Worship Leader) and Five Villagers....Script | By Tiffany Sapp | January 11, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Abundance, Community, Food, Generosity, Gratitude, Stewardship, Thanksgiving, Unity, WorshipWeb -
Introduction The Cornbread and Cider Communion is a tradition in some of our congregations. With gratitude for our freedom and for our abundance, let us celebrate this ritual today mindful of Syrian and other refugees who are unable to go home, those for whom we pray safe passage and a welcoming...Ritual | By Dawn Skjei Cooley | November 24, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Body, Communion (Christian), Food, Gratitude, Immigration, Interdependence, International, Solidarity, Thanksgiving, Unitarian Universalism -
I heard the Second Brandenburg Concerto played in honor of Bach’s 300th birthday, and I was swept away. I remembered a story about the people who send messages into outer space. Someone suggested sending a piece by Bach. The reply was “But that would be bragging.” Some say we get what we...Reading | By Robert Walsh | November 18, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Arts & Music, Awe, Beauty, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Humility, Thanksgiving, Wonder, Worth -
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 -
Under the wide sky, upon this earth the feet will dance of children stretching, swinging, leaping in joy, challenging themselves with new achievements as the years go by. Memory of goodness is made in such moments as this place will bring. May those who play here feel cared for and filled with life.Blessing | By Emmy Lou Belcher | October 17, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Building/Space Dedication, Challenge, Children, Community, Generations, Gratitude, Growth, Home, Joy, Playfulness -
We gather this afternoon, under this sky with these clouds and sun, connecting with this earth, which nourishes and supports us, to dedicate this natural playground. New things need to be recognized and appreciated – that’s what we do with a dedication. To dedicate means to set something aside...Blessing | By Jonalu Johnstone | October 17, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beauty, Body, Building/Space Dedication, Children, Community, Connections, Direct Experience, Earth, Friendship, Gratitude, Joy, Playfulness
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I lean back in the chair and exhale a long breath of thick white cigar smoke into the night sky. It rises upward, swirls in a light breeze, and disappears. I think to myself, “Damn this is a good cigar, a good night, and a good place to be for these few moments.” Earlier today, I walked through...Meditation | By George A Tyger | May 18, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Direct Experience, Gratitude, Memorial Day, Military, Military Service, Presence, Purpose, Service, Veterans Day
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I sit alone, planning the rest of the day. Last night, I was joking and smoking, in broken Pashto, with the resident contingent of the AUP.* I introduced them to the beauty of Dominican tobacco, hand-rolled and perfectly aged. They all seemed to enjoy this symbol of Western democratic values, the...Meditation | By George A Tyger | May 18, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Connections, Direct Experience, Diversity, Generosity, Gratitude, International, Islam, Kindness, Military, Military Service, Peace, Unity, Veterans Day, War