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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

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7

  • Seven leaves, all of the same variety but in a range of colors from green to gold to red, are strung on a line to represent a continuum.
    May we each find the balance point we need
    Closing | By Michelle Collins | September 15, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Change, Ending, Life Transition, Limitations, Transformation, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Seen from the side, an open book with gilded pages and ribbon bookmarks, implied to be a Bible.
    "There are two moments that matter. One is when you know that your one and only life is absolutely valuable and alive. The other is when you know your life, as presently lived, is entirely pointless and empty. You need both of them to keep you going in the right direction. Lent is about both. The...
    Quote | By Richard Rohr | February 25, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Christianity, Connections, Humility, Lent, Limitations, Self-Respect, Spirituality, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A young child curled up on a couch, her head buried in her hands
    In real life, sometimes grief looms largest in December. Sometimes there's one too many dress-ups and the gold tulle makes your legs itch. “I just needed it to stop for a minute. Next time I will take calm breaths.”
    Reflection | By Misha Sanders | December 19, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Children, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Limitations, Self-Care, Self-Respect
  • A person's hands and lower arms: the hands touch at the fingertips, palms separated, pointed upwards as if in prayer.
    One: It may be the hardest thing we will ever do, Many: Caught up in our self-righteousness, honing our pain. One: The one who offended may not deserve forgiveness Many: And we are not obliged to offer it. One: Why, then, should we forgive? Many: Because we have all caused pain....
    Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | July 3, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Direct Experience, Fire Communion, Forgiveness, Growth, Healing, Humanism, Letting Go, Limitations, New Year, Spiritual Practice, Transformation, Yom Kippur
  • Sleeping baby and napping dad hold hands
    Inexplicable. How we rise each morning, instead of burying our heads under bedcovers, sewing them shut. Why we keep on welcoming babies with bone-deep joy to this sordid world. How we fill burlap sacks with grit and gratitude, our hands shredded as we drag one over the other....
    Poetry | By Karen G. Johnston | April 7, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Balance, Brokenness, Disaster or Crisis, Grief, Hope, Integrity, Limitations, Living Our Faith, Mystery, Wholeness
  • A person, in silhouette, stands under the sheltered lip of a strong waterfall
    My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world. #463, Singing the Living Tradition Original source: From Dream of a Common Language (1978)...
    Reading | By Adrienne Rich | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Disaster, Disaster or Crisis, Healing, Limitations, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility, Salvation, Solidarity, Stewardship, Transformation
  • A field of purple flowers, in Latvia, with small lights reflected on them.
    Enter into the communion of flowers with joyful hearts. Enter with reverent thoughts. It has taken long months beneath cold ground for these flowers to prepare their blooming. It has taken each of us long times of growth through sorrow and joy to prepare for our living now. The blooming season is...
    Meditation | By Elizabeth M Strong | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Earth, Flower Communion, Limitations, Nature, Transcendence