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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

Search Words for Worship Services

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7

  • A drop of water bounces off of a vessel of still water, sending out small ripples.
    This was written as a blessing for pouring out the Water Communion waters onto a memorial garden. Like water that swells rivers and fills the ocean, the memories of those we have loved rush through us. Sometimes they are quiet, almost as if we have forgotten—and then suddenly, they flood our...
    Ritual | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | September 4, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Direct Experience, Generations, Grief, Humanism, Imagination, Interdependence, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Remembrance Day, Secular, Water Communion
  • A half-dozen people (heads and shoulders) silhouetted against a deep blue sky.
    May all our hours together be blessed as this one has been: by open-hearted sharing, learning from one another, and making beautiful harmonies together. And may we greet everyone we encounter with the same acceptance and grateful kinship, until we meet again. Blessed be.
    Closing | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | September 14, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Acceptance, Community, Honesty, Relationships, Service, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion
  • A pale pink Gerbera daisy, with its green stalk in front of a pale blue background
    Within the heart of the flower, the fountain of beauty Within the heart of the community, a fire that warms and dances Within the heart of each of us, a spark of the spirit of life. Holy, holy, holy.
    Chalice Lighting | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | May 29, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Beauty, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, God, Nature, Paganism, Sacred, Wonder
  • An unlit chalice on a church altart.
    When we take fire from our chalice, it does not become less. It becomes more. And so we extinguish our chalice, but we take its light and warmth with us, multiplying their power by all of our lives, and sharing it with the world.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | May 28, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Activism, Calling, Christianity, Community, Generosity, IllUUmination, Imbolc / Brighid's Day / Candlemas, New Year, Paganism, Seven Principles, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb
  • Special effects shot resembling a radiant "web" of light.
    The Hindu god Indra is said to have created reality as a great net, with jewels at each intersection of the threads. Every jewel is reflected in every other, and they are all connected by the infinite, intricate web. The jewels are sacred and so is the net that connects them. And so I pray: Dear...
    Prayer | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | May 27, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Community, Connections, Hinduism, Inclusion, Journey, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, National Coming Out Day, Pride Sunday, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Unitarian Universalism, LGBTQ Welcome & Equality
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    Each of us is a flower, with a delicate beauty uniquely our own. We may be like sunflowers, turning always towards the light. May our lives bloom like the flowers. We may be like night-blooming cereus, only displaying our fragrant petals when it is dark and we think no one can see. May our lives...
    Meditation | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, Individualism, Nature
  • a jar of honey, two apples, a shofar, and an open Torah set the scene for Rosh Hashanah
    The Book of Life is open before us. It tells stories of sadness and happiness, despair and hope, stagnation and change, and a peaceful stillness that transcends both. May you be written in the Book of Life....
    Closing | By Amy Zucker Morgenstern | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Forgiveness, Freedom, Judaism, Letting Go, Rosh Hashanah, Transformation