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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This reflection was part of Side With Love Sunday 2021.Homily | By Julica Hermann de la Fuente | March 10, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #30DaysOfLove, #BlackLivesMatter, #SideWithLove, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Equity, Humanism, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Multiculturalism, Power, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Relationships, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Worship -
Why do we so readily hand over what's priceless for a meager sum of money—or a major sum, for that matter?Reading | By Jill Duffield | March 5, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Character, Christianity, Ethics, Integrity, Leadership, Lent, Money, Worship -
Maundy Thursday means that followers of Jesus serve.Reading | By Jill Duffield | March 3, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Humility, Lent, Service, Worship -
Unitarian Universalism has a place for you. It is right here.Chalice Lighting | By Tara Humphries | March 3, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Community, Inclusion, Worship, Young Adults, Youth/Teens -
“As people become more afraid and insecure, they do not know how to access their own soul, move to prayer, or toward their better instincts. At that point, the easy and comforting response is to quote some Scripture, some authority, or some legal principle.”Quote | By Richard Rohr | February 25, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Arrogance, Authority, Christianity, Fear, Power
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"Most of us have been led to believe that prophets 'foretell' the future. That is true, and it is also misleading. It is not the point here. Prophets are seers of the big patterns; they see what is always and forever true. Prophets like Isaiah know how God acts by watching and listening, and they...Quote | By Richard Rohr | February 25, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Contemplation, Courage, Discernment, God, Lent, Revelation
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"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 WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Christianity, Connections, Humility, Lent, Limitations, Self-Respect, Spirituality, Worship -
My broken is what makes me who I am today.Reflection | By Paula Gribble | February 24, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Beauty, Brokenness, Wholeness, Worship -
We in the developed world are like homeowners who inherited a house on a piece of land that is beautiful on the outside, but whose soil is unstable loam and rock, heaving and contracting over generations, cracks patched but the deeper ruptures waved away for decades, centuries even....Reading | By Isabel Wilkerson | February 22, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, America, Anti-Oppression, History, Race/Ethnicity, Worship -
We are left with a new sense of ourselves as God’s people.Affirmation | By Walter Brueggemann | February 19, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, God, Lent, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Worship
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Impermanence, mortality, ashes, dust: this is the truth of being human.Reflection | By Lora Brandis | February 17, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Christianity, Death, Discernment, Grief, Humility, Lent, Love, Spiritual Practice, Worship -
I've adopted the practice of spiritual reconnection with my ancestors to heal intergenerational trauma.Reflection | By Jabari S. Jones | February 10, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), America, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Direct Experience, Diversity, Generations, Healing, History, International, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Transformation, Trauma, Worship -
We are one, a diverse group of proudly kindred spirits, here not by coincidence but because we choose to journey together.Affirmation | By Hope Johnson | February 3, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Commitment, Community, Humanism, Relationships, Seven Principles, Unity, Worship -
I’m part of a covenantal community and when a covenant gets broken, it’s my responsibility to name that break, with kindness and the intention of healing, and to call us back into right relationship.Reflection | By Julica Hermann de la Fuente | February 3, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: #SideWithLove, Worship -
Since I was a kid, I have had a penchant and passion for my touch on my body. This was sometimes shameful, sometimes wonderful, and deeply private from fairly early on, as I received messages from family and neighbors that it wasn’t “right.” It has only been as an adult, as i have witnessed...Reading | By Adrienne Maree Brown | January 30, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Anti-Oppression, Beauty, Belief, Body, Direct Experience, Self-Care, Self-Respect, Sexuality, Worship
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I named the truth as I perceived it, because it didn’t feel like there was any other option.Reflection | By Aisha Ansano | January 27, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, #SideWithLove, Direct Experience, Living Our Faith, Truth, Worship -
We gather because we need community to do all of this holy work.Affirmation | By Nicole McKay | January 23, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Community, Grief, Interdependence, Memorial Day, Memorial Services, Relationships, Remembrance Day, Seven Principles, Worship -
Black Queens saved our democracy. We owe them a great deal.Reflection | By Carol Thomas Cissel | January 20, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: America, Democracy, Humanism, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Women, Work, Worship -
We all honor the Spirit of Life, the Spirit of Compassion, the Spirit of Justice, the Spirit of LovePrayer | By Lindasusan Ulrich | January 15, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Beauty, Earth, Earth-Centered, Interfaith, Nature, Unity, Worship -
Holding people accountable for the impact of their behavior is not revenge; it’s what makes change and growth possible, and no real healing in community can come without it.Reflection | By Kristin Grassel Schmidt | January 13, 2021 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: America, Conflict, Democracy, Disaster or Crisis, Forgiveness, Humanism, Redemption, Responsibility, Seven Principles, Universalism, Worship