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

  • I invite you now into a time of meditation. You may wish to adjust your position: your feet flat on the ground, your body resting easily against the back of the chair, your hands gently open, palms up, resting on your thighs, your eyelids relaxed and half-closed, your breathing soft and easy.
    Meditation | By Martha Kirby Capo | November 17, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Contemplation, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Meditation Practices, Mindfulness, Nature, Paganism, Prayer Practices, Revelation
  • 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
  • To the Weaver of Molecules, the Spinner of Stars the Impulse that gives birth to the Universe, to the Earth, to Me In the deepest, darkest night of my wintered soul I wrap myself in the blanket of my sadness and grief, pain and suffering, doubts and concerns, fears and questions, and look out fro...
    Meditation | By Cynthia Frado | December 8, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Agnosticism, Depression, Direct Experience, Growth, Healing, Imbolc / Brighid's Day / Candlemas, Indigenous American, Meditation Practices, Mourning, Sadness, Secular, Transcendence, Transformation, Trust, Twelfth Night / Epiphany, Unitarian Universalism, Winter Solstice / Yule, WorshipWeb
  • In a world so filled with brokenness and sorrow It would be easy to lose ourselves in never ending grief, To be choked by our outrage To be paralyzed by the enormity of suffering, To feel our hearts squeeze tight with hopelessness....
    Meditation | By Alice Anacheka-Nasemann | December 8, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Brokenness, Despair, Hiroshima Day, Hope, Justice, Justice Sunday, Love, Meditation Practices, Peace, Terrorism
  • We invite each of you to take a deep breath into the present moment, and, realizing that not everyone will have the functions to enter into all of these movements, but grateful for the skills that we do have, we invite you, as you are willing and able, to participate in this interactive meditation.
    Meditation | By Claudene (Deane) Oliva | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Body, Children, Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Humanism, Meditation Practices, Mindfulness, Nature, Prayer Practices, Wholeness, Youth Sunday, WorshipWeb
  • Quiet yourself and listen to the rhythm of your breath, your heart . . .Listen to the silence . . .
    Meditation | By Stephen W Dick | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Contemplation, Direct Experience, Meditation Practices, Self-Care, Silence, Spiritual Practice