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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 - 20 of 147

  • A silhouette of six or seven young people against a cloudless sky, which ranges from pale blue near the bottom to deep blue at the top of the image.
    Spirit of the divine masculine, grant us the strength to nurture in ourselves, and in every young person we have the privilege to know, the gifts of patience, curiosity, and compassion.
    Prayer | By AJ van Tine | February 29, 2024 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Character, Children, Coming of Age, Coming-of-Age, Community, Gender, Growth, Identity, Youth/Teens, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A Black man's hand is holding a mirror, in which we see a partial reflection of his face. Our point of view is from over his shoulder, so in the foreground we see a slightly out-of-focus portion of the back of his head.
    In this heartbreak what we carry forth is our humanity in newly revealed form—our hearts tender and delicate.
    Prayer | By Vanessa Titang | December 12, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Brokenness, Community, Compassion, Disaster or Crisis, Grief, Healing, Trauma, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Seen from slightly behind, a person with long hair gestures with their hands while talking.
    May we view each other as partners, comrades, friends on the journey
    Prayer | By Christin Green | August 1, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Community, Living Our Faith, Purpose, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A Progress Pride flag on a flagpole, with a blue sky and bright sun behind it.
    Queer joy is resistance.
    Reflection | By cristy cardinal | November 23, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #LoveResists, #Pride, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Community, Direct Experience, Humanism, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism, Worship
  • Deep orange sunlight falls on a single fern stalk.
    Can we find space for lifting our heads in wonder—that we’re still striving, still trying together
    Chalice Lighting | By Li Kynvi | August 10, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Business Meetings, Commitment, Community, Faith, Hope, Identity, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A single powerful red-orange flame glows in the darkness around it.
    Hold us gently as we gather closer together, comforting each other, healing each other.
    Prayer | By Vanessa Titang | May 26, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Disaster or Crisis, Transcendence, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Seen from high above, a human crowd forms two hands and a heart shape on white background
    You can crush Love down, bury it, cover it over, but it will rise.
    Reflection | By Molly Housh Gordon | April 6, 2022 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Christianity, Community, Easter, Love, Mystery, Purpose, Worship
  • On a nest of straw and holiday tinsel three white paper stars, or Froebelsterne, are nestled.
    May we continue to find ways to connect while keeping safe this holiday season.
    Reflection | By Laura Shay | December 22, 2021 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Community, Worship
  • Wreaths of red poppies lying at the World War One British memorial to the missing of the Somme (in Thiepval, France).
    We gather because we need community to do all of this holy work.
    Affirmation | By Nicole McKay | January 23, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Grief, Interdependence, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Relationships, Remembrance Day, Seven Principles, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A sculpture by Jane Mortimer ("Loss"), showing a seated figure with their head tucked against their knees
    When we feel overwhelmed, we gather to find a path, to find new ways forward.
    Responsive Reading | By David Breeden | September 19, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Disaster or Crisis, Grief, Humanism, Memorial Services, Purpose, Searching, Secular, Strength, Stress, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Two worship attendees stand arm in arm, with other hands raised.
    music arises from depths unknown often without words but never without meaning and spirit rises from deep within me seducing my body to join the song first a tremor in the soul, then tapping of toes breath aligns with breath, heart beats in syncopation and a stuttering buzz in my throat becomes a...
    Opening | By Arlen Goff | May 4, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Arts & Music, Body, Community, Direct Experience, Joy, Music Sunday, Secular, Wonder
  • A pair of muddy arms reaches up to push a muddy foot, as if helping someone climb a wall.
    Years ago, I did one of those mud run obstacle races. There were eight physical obstacles on the course, but my biggest learning was that we all had a ninth obstacle.
    Reflection | By Laura Solomon | March 18, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, Community, Compassion, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Relationships, Self-Care
  • Against a red background, two people stand facing one another, with a gap between them.
    In this community, we hold hope close. We don’t always know what comes next, but that cannot dissuade us. We don’t always know just what to do, but that will not mean that we are lost in the wilderness. We rely on the certainty beneath, the foundation of our values and ethics. —Rev. Theresa I.
    Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | March 11, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: #COVID19, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Caring, Community, Direct Experience, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Humanism, Interdependence, Leadership, Relationships, Responsibility, Secular
  • Children drumming at First parish UU Bedford, MA.
    Today we kick off Religious Education classes with [over number registered] children and youth in our congregation. [Number of volunteers] adult volunteers carry the sacred privilege and responsibility of journeying beside them on our behalf....
    Ritual | By Lauren Wyeth | January 7, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Children, Community, Education, Leadership, Service, Teacher Dedication, Teacher Recognition, Teamwork, Unitarian Universalism, Youth/Teens
  • At a conference table, young adults smile around an open laptop.
    As we light this chalice [this evening], may it serve to give us clarity of purpose and illumine our way as we set about doing the work of this congregation, in commitment, in cooperation, and in love.
    Chalice Lighting | By Viola Abbitt | January 7, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Business Meetings, Commitment, Community, Governance, Humanism, Leadership, Love, Purpose, Secular, Teamwork, Unitarian Universalism, Work
  • On a church chancel, children dressed as sheep and cows kneel during a Christmas pageant
    Every year, I tell the congregation not to worry about mistakes because there aren’t any; there is only us, telling an old story about love getting born into this aching world.
    Reflection | By Elea Kemler | December 18, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: Advent, Brokenness, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Community, Direct Experience, Forgiveness, Love, Playfulness, Tradition, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism
  • refrigerator magnets on a flat surface jumble together to spell "welcome"
    Welcome, you questioners, seekers of Truth with a capital T, pilgrims longing for sanctuary, travelers needing harbor from the storm. Welcome, those who are holding on by a thread, determined breakers of the chains of loneliness and isolation....
    Welcome | By Rachel Rott | October 27, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Anti-Oppression, Community, Homecoming / Ingathering, Living Our Faith, New Member Ceremony, Universalism
  • Red pomegranates on a table.
    Spirit of Life, Source of Love, you who know our struggles and failures as well as we know them ourselves, be with us as we enter into this time of reflection. Give us the courage to travel through a moral inventory of our lives, to notice the places where we have missed opportunities to live our...
    Prayer | By Lyn Cox | October 16, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Community, Conscience, Ethics, Failure, Judaism, Reconciliation, Responsibility, Rosh Hashanah, Transformation, Yom Kippur
  • Against a backdrop of blue sky and ocean, a line of birds flies past a padlock attached to a fence.
    Coming out to my family was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I realized that my choice was one of life and death, and I needed to let my secret out in order to continue living, and to do so authentically.
    Reflection | By Adrian L. H. Graham | October 9, 2019 | From Braver/Wiser
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Atheism, Coming Out, Community, Courage, Direct Experience, Humanism, Identity, Integrity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, National Coming Out Day, Pride Sunday, Secular, Trust, Truth
  • Fat drops of dew on the emerald leaves of a succulent
    We gather together this morning tenderly—like drops of dew on a leaf of grass hopefully—like gathered raindrops in a cloud gleefully—like water rushing in a stream to the sea deeply—like groundwater pulled up from a well We gather from every direction, for another year of growth and depth,...
    Opening | By Molly Housh Gordon | September 4, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Community, Earth, Earth-Centered, Homecoming / Ingathering, Interdependence, Nature, Water Communion