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.
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No one is ever really ready for Christmas....Meditation | By Maureen Killoran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Connections, Direct Experience, Love, Patience -
Let us pray to the God who holds us in the hollow of his hands -- to the God who holds us in the curve of her arms -- to the God whose flesh is the flesh of hills and hummingbirds and angleworms -- whose skin is the color of an old black woman and a young white man, and the color of the leopard a...Meditation | By Max A Coots | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, God
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Infinite Spirit, sometimes called Grandfather, Grandmother —...Meditation | By Vern Barnet | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Indigenous American
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Indwelling God, who art infused throughout all existence, we hallow thee with many names. Thy Kingdom is within the human heart. We accept life for all that it can be, on earth as throughout all creation....Meditation | By Fred F Keip, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Forgiveness, God, Immanence, Reverence, Sacred, Unity
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Incandescent, the bright autumn leaf clings to the branch, holding on to glory, then floats to the ground in its fine array—down to winter's snows and spring's muck and mold. Does it rant and rave into that good night?...Meditation | By John H Robinson, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Fall, Transformation -
Let us be in the spirit of prayer. In this precious moment in which we set apart and ordain a woman to our ministry, we pause to give thanks for this religious community of free spirits of which we are a part....Prayer | By William E Gardner | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Commitment, Leadership, Ministry, Ordinations, Responsibility, Service
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O Mysterious God whose ways are many, we ask for your comfort today. Help us feel your healing spirit as we work with the wounded. Help us feel your life-giving spirit as we work with the dying. Help us feel your spirit of hope as we witness the suffering....Prayer | By Beth Graham | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 6th Principle (World Community), Body, Healing, Illness, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Purpose, Service, Unitarian Universalism
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Many of us, O God, don't believe in prayer. We're more comfortable with meditation, particularly the silent part. And some of us aren't sure we believe in God, or we scarcely know what the word means. But we do know that we care, that we care about one another and the kind of world we live in. We...Prayer | By Richard M Fewkes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Caring, Fear, God, Spiritual Practice, Unitarian Universalism, Unity
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In the spirit of the Prophet Amos, the Unitarian minister A....Meditation | By Victoria Weinstein | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Canvass/Pledge
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Receive, O Mystery, the words of our hearts. If prayer worked like magic—if I knew the words that would guarantee prayer's power—I know what I would pray: Let life be always kind to our children. Let sorrow not touch them. Let them be free from fear. Let them never suffer injustice, nor the...Meditation | By Lindsay Bates | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Bridging Ceremony, Child Dedication, Children, Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Coming of Age, Joy, New Child, Parents, Relationships, Seven Principles, Strength, Unitarian Universalism
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Looking at the overflowing cup, Seeing from another perspective, Witnessing life in all its fullness, We share from a place of hope and dedication And put our love into tangible form.Reading | By Susan Karlson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Love
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May the Waters gathered here remind us of what each of us brings to this community and of the waters that nourished us before we were even born, that continue to give us sustenance and energy for our life journeys. and for all creatures on this earth....Blessing | By Susan Karlson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Earth, Gratitude, Growth, Interdependence, Journey, Nature, Sacred, Searching, Strength, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion
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We leave blessed by our connections to one another, to the spirit of life. Walk lightly that you see the life that is below your feet. Spread your arms as if you had wings and could dance through the air. Feel the joy of the breath in your lungs and the fire in your heart. Live to love and be a...Closing | By Susan Karlson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Body, Connections, Playfulness, Service, Unitarian Universalism -
Congregation starts, reading the words in italics. They say I am “illegal”; But so is anyone who ever rolled through a stop sign, jaywalked or threw trash on the ground. Not having a visa is a civil infraction, not a federal crime. They say I am here to take your jobs; But the jobs are often...Reading | By Julia Hamilton | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), America, Anti-Oppression, Immigration, Immigration, Justice, Race/Ethnicity -
As we light the chalice and fully embrace the sacred space created here this morning, please hold in your hearts the Unitarian Universalist principle which calls upon us to respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part....Chalice Lighting | By Viola Abbitt | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Community, Compassion, Connections, Death, Earth, Gratitude, History, Interdependence, Sacred, Strength, Unitarian Universalism -
May the light of truth illumine our minds, May the spark of love set our hearts on fire, May the flame of freedom burn brightly within us, Now and always.Chalice Lighting | By Richard M Fewkes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Activism, Commitment, Compassion, Ethics, Freedom, Justice, Love, Tradition, Truth, Unitarian Universalism -
The first step is to notice the mountain. It is there. And it belongs to a range of mountains. There’s no going around it. The next step is to reach the kind of acceptance that has us praying in our hearts: "Lord, I don’t ask you to move the mountain, just give me the strength to climb." The...Sermon | By Paul R Beedle | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Diversity, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Race/Ethnicity, Respect, Responsibility, Service
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We retell the birth, life, and death of Dr. King to symbolize that it is not until humanity can measure the worth and meaning of a single life, that it can extend worth that to all souls. But, this is a new day....Homily | By Brent A Smith | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Justice, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism
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May this flame, symbol of transformation since time began, fire our curiosity, strengthen our wills, and sustain our courage as we seek what is good within and around us.Chalice Lighting | By Bets Wienecke | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Community, Compassion, Courage, Faith, Freedom, Good, Searching, Strength, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder -
May God—the mind that sees our faults, the tears that sting our wounds, the laugh that soothes our aches, and the love that redeems us all—be illuminated by the light we kindle in this house of faith.Chalice Lighting | By Max A Coots | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Brokenness, Caring, Compassion, Despair, Faith, Forgiveness, God, Grace, Healing