Edit Header for Worship Holidays Search
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

Changing a filter will refresh results (and remaining options) immediately. Searching by keyword or changing the number of items per page requires use of the "Search" button.

Displaying 1 - 7 of 7

  • Flanked by skyscrapers and marchers, and with rainbow flags waving, two people wear T-shirts saying "Por Nuestros Derechos" ("for our rights")
    Spirit of Life, if you have a lesson for us, it is that all life is beautiful. We are each born into this world who we are, tall or short, with our own colour of skin, with our own sexual orientation....
    Prayer | By Brian Kiely | October 7, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Democracy, Gender, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Privilege, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness
  • a view from the ground, looking up, at the tops of evergreen trees with a starry sky above. A warm glow of campfire is reflected off of the trees' trunks.
    Spirit of Life, Earth and Sea and Sky, Place of deep longing in my heart Find your way from silence to voice Give me strength and courage to speak truth through my life For I am a creature of the Universe, small but infinite A momentary body in the sea of life, and also the sea itself I am a...
    Prayer | By Alix Klingenberg | May 31, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, Awe, Connections, Contemplation, Earth-Centered, Identity, Nature, Prayer Practices, Strength, Unitarian Universalism
  • One person sits alone in a row of empty church pews.
    Spirit of Life, Spirit of Love, Spirit of Generosity, As we draw near to that quiet essential side of ourselves, may we open enough to consider the sacred choices we make each minute, each hour, each day that add up to a lifetime. Let us become aware that here is the place to be forgiven, and to...
    Prayer | By Katie Kandarian-Morris | November 18, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Forgiveness, Grace, Inclusion, Yom Kippur
  • A marquee that says "LOVE WINS"
    Loving Creator, beyond our understanding yet closer than our breath, breathe into us your love so that we may love ourselves and others as you do. Help heal the fear, hate, and judgment that wound so many....
    Prayer | By Amy Johnson | May 27, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Coming Out, Connections, God, Healing, Inclusion, Love, National Coming Out Day, Pride Sunday, Wholeness
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    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 WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, Beauty, Connections, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Interdependence, Intimacy, Love, Nature, Climate Justice
  • Unitarian Universalist Association Chalice
    Oh spirit of life and love, We pause for a moment on this snowy day to reflect on the changes one week can make in our lives. We celebrate the feast of Imbolc, the pagan holiday that heralds the coming of spring. Our hearts stir with the thought that lambs are being born, that the light is...
    Prayer | By Deborah Weiner | March 2, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, Agnosticism, Earth-Centered, Imbolc / Brighid's Day / Candlemas, Mystery, Nature, Paganism, Reverence, Unitarian Universalism, Vulnerability, Winter, Climate Justice
  • a small flame burns on the wick of a pillar candle with a striped rainbow pattern
    On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember those who have been murdered for being who they are, those who face violence on a daily basis, those who have lost loved ones, and those who worry for loved ones. May we come to a time when we cease to shame children around gender roles and...
    Prayer | By Sunshine Jeremiah Wolfe | February 19, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Gender, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Suffering, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Violence, Wholeness