Unitarian Universalists use different terms for the words that begin a worship service, including call to worshipinvocation, and opening words. These words invite the congregation from their separate lives and to the common place and time of the worship hour.

(In Unitarian Universalist worship if there are Opening Words there is generally not an Invocation, and vice versa.)

Search Words for Worship Services

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  • With thankful hearts we have come together this morning to celebrate the bounty of the day, to bask in the warmth of this community, to share with friends the tides of our lives, to entertain, perennially, our hopes for a better future....
    Opening | By Alison Wohler | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Unity
  • We call this light before us in hope that we may always remain a strong community, working together to make the world a better place. When we are grieving or sad, When we are challenged, When we need help, This flame guides us out of the darkness. When we are cheerful, When we celebrate, When we...
    Chalice Lighting | By Atticus Palmer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Challenge, Community, Generosity, Hope, Joy, Playfulness, Responsibility, Sorrow, Strength, Unity
  • What is this fire? A match, a wick, a flame. What is this place? Wood, and stone, and glass. Yet here we have gathered In this place Before this flame Making each holy By our presence here, together.
    Chalice Lighting | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Sacred, Unity
  • We light this chalice in memory of the courage of those who have struggled for freedom, the persistence of those who've struggled for justice, and the love of those who've built beloved communities to carry on the light of hope.
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Commitment, Community, Compassion, Courage, Empathy, Equity, Freedom, Hope, Human Rights, Justice
  • We light this chalice to honor the teachings of Jesus, The love of neighbor and of God, The command to care for the least of these, and The Kingdom of Heaven, the Beloved Community, Which he proclaimed.
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Community
  • We light this chalice to kindle the fire of commitment to spread our beloved faith, proclaim the Good News that all are worthy and all are welcome, that God is Love and none shall be left behind. May we carry this flame to all we encounter, letting our lives shine with its glow.
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Commitment, Community, Faith, Generosity, Hospitality, Inclusion, Kindness, Living Our Faith, Love, Universalism
  • For the gift of this day and for our community of spiritual nurture and compassion, we give thanks. We light this chalice as a symbol of our faith. May our many sparks meet and merge in communion of heart and soul.
    Chalice Lighting | By Bruce Southworth | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Commitment, Community, Compassion, Faith, Gratitude, Growth, Hope, Presence, Reverence
  • We light this chalice for the web of life which sustains us, For the sacred circle of life in which we have our being, For the Earth, the Sky, Above and Below, and For our Mother Earth, and for the Mystery.
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Connections, Earth, Earth-Centered, Generations, Interdependence, Mystery, Nature, Paganism, Power, Relationships, Reverence, Sacred
  • We light this chalice to honor the memory of those who have come before us, kindling flames of wisdom in dark times, willing to challenge orthodoxy even at great personal risk, giving us a legacy of freedom and a love of truth, A legacy that warms our hearts and lights our paths.
    Chalice Lighting | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Challenge, Commitment, Courage, Freedom, Generations, History, Journey, Love, Truth, Wisdom
  • Let us seek the quiet and the calm Let us lay aside our loud calling Let us lay aside our struggle Speak softly: let us listen to the melodies that recall other proportions Our moments tarry not with us Let us then seek the dimension that endures beyond all nowness and hereness beyond all...
    Opening | By Jay E Abernathy, Jr | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Contemplation, Peace, Silence
  • Leader: We believe and trust that all people are equal in humanity: Black or White; Rich or Poor; Gay or Straight. Congregation: All people are equal in humanity. Leader: Our prayer today is that the Government in Uganda will listen to the cry of its people. May they find wisdom and recognize the...
    Chalice Lighting | By Anonymous | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Anti-Oppression, Change, Equity, Evil, Freedom, Human Rights, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Multiculturalism, Multiculturalism, Worth
  • Does the match love the wick? Does the wick love the wax or the air it consumes? “Yes, without question.” To melt together, To burn together, To change together, The pieces of the candle must love each other. Though not necessarily wisely, and not necessarily well.
    Chalice Lighting | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Commitment, Grace, Growth, Interdependence, Mystery, Transformation
  • We light this chalice, spark of the original fire of creation, to remind us that we all on this planet—the furred, the feathered, the finned, and the scaled, along with us featherless bipeds—we are all made of the same star-stuff and all share a common destiny. We all share the same hopes of a...
    Chalice Lighting | By Mark Causey | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Climate Justice, Compassion, Diversity, Earth, Earth-Centered, Equity, Ethics, Interdependence, Nature, Relationships, Unitarian Universalism
  • To “invoke” is to “call forth” and is traditionally associated with calling upon God. You can also think of it as invoking the spirit of your community—its vision of justice, its playful energy, or its familial feeling. Invocations can also serve to introduce the theme that you’ll be...
    Opening | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
  • The Persian poet Rumi challenges us: "Come, come, whoever you are: wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving: Ours is no caravan of despair, come, yet again come." And we come, from rich heritages of liturgy and pomp; We come, from burning legacies of angry gods and threats of hell-fire....
    Opening | By Anne Slater | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Diversity, Islam, Unitarian Universalism
  • Let us reach the place of self, the place that is not alien to truth. Let us wash over with peace and serenity, with fierce longing for light and heart; with living strength flowing in our veins, bringing ourselves into fearlessness and into trust.
    Opening | By Ma Theresa "Tet" Gustilo Gallardo | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Peace, Trust
  • T... starts out with Turkey and with Tofu, and Together, H...reminds us of Happiness, may it grow beyond all measure. A...means All who are returning, a reunion in Fall, N...for Newcomers to our Fellowship, and hearty welcome to all! K...for Kind friends with whom we will share dinner, S... means...
    Chalice Lighting | By Maureen Killoran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Community, Fall, Food, Gratitude, Happiness, Integrity, Playfulness, Relationships, Thanksgiving, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism
  • Leader: We are here to derive meaning in our actions All: When I change, the world changes Leader: We are here to win our power back over our areas of powerlessness All: When I change, the world changes Leader: We are here to deepen our understanding of ourselves in order to strengthen...
    Opening | By Ma Theresa "Tet" Gustilo Gallardo | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Purpose, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism
  • In this free church, we come together without creed, focusing instead on the core values of justice, equity and compassion... Of mutual acceptance of our diverse ways of being, as we seek to connect ourselves more fully with the unfolding truths of life and of our world....
    Chalice Lighting | By Maureen Killoran | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Hope, Inclusion, Unitarian Universalism
  • The chalice lit among us is a beacon A beacon of hope, in a world in crisis A beacon of possibility, made manifest in community A beacon of warmth through our interconnections A beacon of light illuminating our shared wisdom A beacon of connection by our being together...
    Chalice Lighting | By Debra Faulk | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Connections, Despair, Faith, Growth, Hope, Interdependence, Journey, Kindness, Wisdom