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.
Search Words for Worship Services
Toggle to filter resultsAvailable filters:
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.
- Advent (1)
- All Saints Day (1)
- All Souls Day (1)
- Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb (2)
- Bridging Ceremony (1)
- Business Meetings (1)
- Christmas Eve / Christmas (2)
- Coming of Age (3)
- Coming Out (11)
- Earth Day (1)
- Graduation Recognition (1)
- Halloween (1)
- Hanukkah (1)
- Holocaust Remembrance / Yom Ha'Shoah (1)
- Homecoming / Ingathering (1)
- Indigenous Peoples Day (1)
- Installations (2)
- July 4th (1)
- Juneteenth (1)
- Justice Sunday (1)
- Life Transition (2)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday (2)
- Memorial Day (1)
- Mother's Day (3)
- Naming Ceremony (1)
- National Coming Out Day (7)
- New Member Ceremony (2)
- New Year (2)
- Partner Church Observation (1)
- Passover (Pesach) (1)
- Prayer Practices (2)
- Pride Sunday (14)
- Quinceañera (1)
- Transgender Day of Remembrance (4)
- United Nations Day (1)
- Water Communion (1)
- Winter Solstice / Yule (1)
- Acceptance (11)
- Activism (2)
- America (5)
- Anti-Oppression (19)
- Arts & Music (1)
- Awe (2)
- Belief (1)
- Birth (2)
- Body (1)
- Bridging (1)
- Brokenness (1)
- Caring (1)
- Change (1)
- Character (1)
- Children (6)
- Choice (3)
- Coming-of-Age (2)
- Commitment (3)
- Community (6)
- Connections (2)
- Conscience (1)
- Contemplation (1)
- Courage (5)
- Covenant (2)
- Death (1)
- Dignity (1)
- Discernment (1)
- Diversity (5)
- Earth (1)
- Empathy (1)
- Faith (2)
- Family (4)
- Fathers (2)
- Freedom (3)
- Friendship (3)
- Gender (8)
- Generations (1)
- God (4)
- Growth (1)
- Healing (1)
- History (8)
- Honesty (1)
- Hope (2)
- Hospitality (1)
- Human Rights (1)
- Inclusion (8)
- Individualism (1)
- Integrity (4)
- Interdependence (1)
- Journey (1)
- Justice (1)
- Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer (19)
- Living Our Faith (4)
- Love (4)
- Marriage (1)
- Money (1)
- Mothers (3)
- Multiculturalism (7)
- Nature (1)
- Oppression (2)
- Parents (3)
- Playfulness (1)
- Purpose (4)
- Race/Ethnicity (7)
- Reconciliation (1)
- Relationships (3)
- Religion (1)
- Responsibility (1)
- Reverence (1)
- Sacred (1)
- Sacrifice (1)
- Science (1)
- Searching (1)
- Self-Respect (3)
- Sexuality (2)
- Solidarity (5)
- Spiritual Practice (1)
- Strength (2)
- Suffering (1)
- Tradition (3)
- Transformation (5)
- Trust (2)
- Truth (2)
- Unity (3)
- Violence (1)
- Wholeness (4)
- Women (1)
- Wonder (1)
- Youth/Teens (2)
- (-) Identity (47)
- Adrian L. H. Graham (1)
- AJ van Tine (1)
- Alex Kapitan (1)
- Alix Klingenberg (2)
- Amanda Udis-Kessler (1)
- Amy Brooks (1)
- Anonymous (1)
- Becky Brooks (1)
- Cheryl Strayed (1)
- Chris Rothbauer (1)
- Christian Schmidt (1)
- Cricket Hall (1)
- Cynthia Frado (1)
- David Breeden (1)
- David Glasgow (1)
- Erika Hewitt (3)
- Heather McDuffee (2)
- Ibram X Kendi (1)
- Jabari S. Jones (1)
- Jami Yandle (1)
- Jeff Liebmann (1)
- Karen G. Johnston (1)
- Karen Mooney (1)
- Kathleen McTigue (1)
- Laura Bogle (1)
- Laura Randall (1)
- Leah Ongiri (2)
- Li Kynvi (2)
- Maureen Killoran (1)
- Melissa Carvill-Ziemer (1)
- Mike Adams (1)
- Otto O’Connor (1)
- Quinn Gormley (1)
- Ralph Yeager Roberts (1)
- Raquel V. Reyes (1)
- Renee Ruchotzke (1)
- Sunshine Jeremiah Wolfe (1)
- Tim Atkins (1)
- Victoria Safford (2)
- Zeb Green (1)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 47
-
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 WorshipWebTagged as: Character, Children, Coming of Age, Coming-of-Age, Community, Gender, Growth, Identity, Youth/Teens, WorshipWeb, Worship
-
I would have loved it as a kid to have a church that encouraged us to listen to our heartfelt yearning of self.Reflection | By Zeb Green | June 7, 2023 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Coming Out, Direct Experience, Gender, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Truth, Worship
-
Today we celebrate the new name that reflects a truth long-hidden, now revealed.Ritual | By Karen G. Johnston | March 9, 2023 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Caring, Identity, Inclusion, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Life Transition, Naming Ceremony, Self-Respect, Transformation, WorshipWeb, Worship
-
I wasn’t really “born this way.” I grew this way.Reflection | By Heather McDuffee | September 28, 2022 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: #Pride, Choice, Coming Out, Friendship, God, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Marriage, National Coming Out Day, Transformation, Trust, Worship
-
Coming out is vulnerable, intimate, and holy.Homily | By Heather McDuffee | September 27, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #Pride, Acceptance, Christianity, Coming Out, Courage, Direct Experience, Family, Friendship, God, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, National Coming Out Day, Transformation, WorshipWeb, Worship
-
Can we find space for lifting our heads in wonder—that we’re still striving, still trying togetherChalice Lighting | By Li Kynvi | August 10, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Business Meetings, Commitment, Community, Faith, Hope, Identity, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
-
Happy kids are safer kids, because happy kids have adults they can ask for help.Reflection | By Quinn Gormley | March 2, 2022 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Children, Coming Out, Direct Experience, Humanism, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Parents, Pride Sunday, Secular, Worship
-
We could have assimilated but instead / we rededicateAffirmation | By Leah Ongiri | March 1, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Hanukkah, Identity, Judaism, Strength, Tradition, WorshipWeb, Worship
-
May the rainbow of love enfold you; may your fluidity never be hindered.Blessing | By Cricket Hall | March 1, 2022 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Identity, Inclusion, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, WorshipWeb, Worship
-
Spirit of Life who dwells before and between and beyond all words… we open ourselves to you.Reflection | By David Glasgow | November 17, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Arts & Music, Coming Out, Courage, Direct Experience, Friendship, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Secular, Solidarity, Worship
-
I was leaving my mom in another world, located far away from mine.Reflection | By Mike Adams | October 6, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: History, Identity, Indigenous American, Indigenous Peoples Day, Race/Ethnicity, Worship
-
Help me live in gratitude for the LGBTQ+ ancestors who paved this road we walk and roll on.Reflection | By Li Kynvi | June 9, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Identity, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Worship
-
What’s the one word you hope will define your upcoming year?Reflection | By Tim Atkins | December 30, 2020 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Choice, Discernment, Identity, New Year, Spiritual Practice, Worship
-
The drag show was heaven broken open, given to us for the evening. Everything for a little while was perfect—and I saw the face of my God.Reflection | By Jami Yandle | July 1, 2020 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Freedom, Gender, God, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Sacred, Sexuality
-
Ironically, Americans who self-identify as not racist—whether they're conservatives, moderates, liberals, radicals, progressives—they don't realize… that we are connecting ourselves to a history of slave traders who self-identified as not racist (although they didn't use that term). We're...Reading | By Ibram X Kendi | January 16, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), America, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, History, Identity, Juneteenth, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Oppression, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity
-
The first time I was told that I was too queer to be a congregation's minister, they asked, "What will the neighbors think?,” as if it were the most natural question in the world. It was then that I understood how grace works: it’s costly. It requires us to be uncomfortable, to get outside...Reading | By Chris Rothbauer | January 9, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Anti-Oppression, Coming Out, Direct Experience, Diversity, Identity, Inclusion, Integrity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Living Our Faith, National Coming Out Day, Oppression, Pride Sunday, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Solidarity
-
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/WiserTagged 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
-
The road not taken is not a fork. That’s too simple a thought, flipping some coin. Either/or. Nope. It’s not this or that. No or yes. It’s nor/ neither and all of the above and more. The road taken goes every way at once. There. There. They. Them. Go. Now. Live.Affirmation | By David Breeden | October 6, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Agnosticism, Coming Out, Dignity, Direct Experience, Gender, Humanism, Identity, Inclusion, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Pride Sunday, Secular, Self-Respect, Sexuality, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Unitarian Universalism
-
Reader 1: In 1637, the white settlers in what was to become the town of Dedham, Massachusetts, wanted to start a church. What they longed for was sincere religious association based in love, and founded in freedom. Reader 2: The idea of a free church took shape among the people—a church whose...Affirmation | By Erika Hewitt | August 8, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Covenant, History, Identity, Installations, Interdependence, Seven Principles, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarianism
-
This ritual entails having an empty vase on the altar, and cut flowers. It's especially meaningful to have founders or other "pillars" of the congregation have flowers with them in the service, and to have the congregation's children bring those flowers forward and put them in the vase (perhaps...Affirmation | By Erika Hewitt | August 8, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Souls Day, Direct Experience, Generations, History, Humanism, Identity, Installations, New Member Ceremony, New Year, Secular