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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 - 6 of 6

  • A spring of green leaves rests on a cut of tree trunk, revealing many rings of growth
    May we reconnect to our life-giving, breath-freeing connection
    Prayer | By Leslie Takahashi | May 1, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Nature, Responsibility, Climate Justice, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • large_greenleaf_many_raindrops
    We gather as many drops, each winding our own path down life’s surfaces and ruts. Here we pool together as a single body, flowing together for a time. Together we are a stream, at times even a river, for with our shared force we can travel toward oceans of meaning and seas of connection.
    Chalice Lighting | By Leslie Takahashi | December 7, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Connections, Earth, Earth-Centered, Meaning, Nature, Playfulness, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion
  • A small flame burns atop a ceramic oil lamp in New Delhi, India
    This is a prayer for when words fail, for when they are not big enough or small enough to slip into the little cracks left in our hearts by life’s unbearable pressures....
    Prayer | By Leslie Takahashi | July 17, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Challenge, Community, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Hope, Power, Suffering, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism, Unity
  • The shadowed silhouettes of two people holding their hands together to form a heart.
    One: Listening is not an act of the ear, listening is an act of the heart. Many: In these times when so much speaks: outrage, anger, disillusionment. One: Rage is a constant cry. Derision has found his voice. The despair of the fair and faithful speaks fast and often. The whisper of despair grows...
    Responsive Reading | By Leslie Takahashi | September 12, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Caring, Direct Experience, Empathy, Healing, Meditation Practices, Multiculturalism, Prayer Practices, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness
  • A grandmother and granddaughter talk while holding a photo album.
    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 WorshipWeb
    Tagged 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
  • From above, an arc of a thick evergreen wreath. In its center, four red pillar candels are lit; the white pillar candle at the center is unlit.
    When used as a responsive reading, "We are waiting" is the congregational response. This is the season of anticipation, Of expecting, of hoping, of wanting. This is the time of expecting the arrival of something--or someone. We are waiting. This is the time of living in darkness, in the hues of...
    Responsive Reading | By Leslie Takahashi | January 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Advent, Balance, Calling, Christianity, Contemplation, Hope, Unitarian Universalism, Vision