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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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 -
Nature provides ready metaphors for peace and justice. Jesus' peaceful kingdom is described as a mustard seed that grows into a large bush, providing shelter to all. the Hebrew prophet Amos cried for justice to roll down like water, and we sing, "I've got peace like a river" and "strength like a...Reading | By Stephen M. Shick | March 17, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Justice, Nature, Peace, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Vision, Climate Justice -
I understand history as possibility...that could also stop being a possibility. —Paulo Freire The winds of extinction sing a mournful song in the rustling grass, where the bobwhite drums and the meadowlark's melody is vanishing. The winds of extinction sing a mournful song in the dark forest...Poetry | By Stephen M. Shick | March 17, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Despair, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Interdependence, Nature, Unitarian Universalism, Climate Justice
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Spirit of Life, God of Love, who are we to know how you moved over the waters when all was new? We were not there when you parted them and formed dry land. We didn't hear you cry with joy when earth gave birth to life, or when love began to grow in the human heart....Prayer | By Stephen M. Shick | March 17, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Humility, Nature, Responsibility, Stewardship, Climate Justice
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Suppose you scrub your ethical skin until it shines, but inside there is no music, then what? —Kabir Suppose you cried a thousand years for a child who died when she drank bad water. Suppose you organized a great movement to clean the water. Suppose you carried the first filled glass to the...Poetry | By Stephen M. Shick | March 17, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Earth, Earth Day, Interdependence, International, Relationships, Service, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion, Climate Justice
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Spirit of Life, God of Love, I am entwined in your delicate web of mutuality. The life energy that makes me reach for the sun also moves me to become wrapped, like the strong bittersweet vine and the delicate sweet pea, around those I meet and love. Here in the tangle of my daily life I feel your...Prayer | By Stephen M. Shick | March 12, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, Beauty, Connections, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Interdependence, Intimacy, Love, Nature, Climate Justice
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Early spring awakens memories of a deeper cold and hopes of a warmer wetness, sprouting seeds and budding branches. Gray trees on gray sky screen eyes from all that lies waiting: the color of a million flowers, the feathers of migrating songbirds, the blossoming smiles of friends. Soon we will no...Meditation | By Stephen M. Shick | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Autumnal Equinox, Beginnings, Communion (Christian), Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Journey, Nature, Transcendence, Transformation, Vernal Equinox