(From the East:) Brothers and sisters in creation, we covenant this day with you and with All creation yet to be; With every living creature and All that contains and sustains you; With All that is on the earth and with the earth itself; With All that lives in the waters and with the waters...
Reading
| By
Sydney A Morris
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
We are people of all ages who enter this space bringing our joys and our concerns. We come together in hope. We greet each other warmly with our voices and our smiles. We come together in peace. We light the chalice to symbolize our interdependence and our unity. We come together in harmony. We...
Reading
| By
Carol Meyer
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Left: Some of us are struggling with sorrow or grief, but are afraid to reach out for help. Right: Some of us are sick of ourselves and others, but don't know what to do about it. Some of us just want to be ourselves, but it seems that other people won't let us....
Reading
| By
Jay Atkinson
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Blessed are the heavens, for they declare the power of creation. Blessed is the earth, our beloved home, for she is a planet of plenitude. Blessed are the waters thereon, for they gave rise to living things. Blessed is the land, for it is the source of life abundant....
Reading
| By
Richard S. Gilbert
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
All too often, we pace the geometries of our walled gardens, Believing we are traversing the whole of creation. With spirits of discovery, let us uncover the mysteries nested in our routines, With the eagerness of children, let us seek out the secrets unfolding in our peripheral vision. Let us...
Reading
| By
John Gibb Millspaugh
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Challenge, Connections, Grace, Spiritual Practice
We create a web of life. This is finally the time to let go of that crazy notion that we can live separate and aloof from one another We create a web of life. This is the time at last that we can come home to each other, to our mutual belonging. We create a web of life....
Reading
| By
Sarah Lammert
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
We are here because we are people of faith. Within each of us lives the conviction of a saving faith that could restore our broken planet and illuminate the lives of our sisters and brothers. Ancient wisdom teaches that we who would save the world must first save ourselves....
Reading
| By
Kendyl L. R. Gibbons
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
We are bogged down by the details of life. We are smothered by detail. Our bodies fill up with knots of anxiety. Our throats are dry. We would weep, but our eyes have no tears. We could cry out, but we have no passion. Who has done this to us? We confess the pain we cause ourselves....
Reading
| By
Richard F Boeke
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
To be human is to be aware of our separation. We want to love and to be loved by our friends, our parents, our children; but often we feel alone, not knowing the right things to do or the right words to say....
Reading
| By
Thomas Fritts
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Thou who are the heart of being, we come together but often feel alone. We come for fellowship but we hold back. We are certain -- in our uncertainty. We are sure of ourselves -- in our utter doubt. We are full of answers, but not to our real questions....
Reading
| By
John H Robinson, Jr
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Let us pause now to look inward, exploring, if we dare, the secret places where motives are made and intentions live. Beneath appearances, what kind of persons are we? Is the inner self congruent with the one that rejoices with friends, assists the infirm, comforts the crying child? No....
Reading
| By
Michael A Schuler
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
O Spirit of life, let us resolve to move on with our lives in spite of whatever troubles may befall us. We know that we're imperfect, prone to mistakes, often so concerned about ourselves we're blind to others. We are prone to sin and, in our best moments, we know it. Let this knowing not fill us...
Reading
| By
David G Sammons
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Knowing that we do not always live up to our best expectations of ourselves, let us in quietness seek the good within, which some call the inner light, and some "a spark of the divine." Knowing that we live in a society which falls far short of the ideal, let us in quietness resolve to do one thi...
Reading
| By
Maryell Cleary
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
I wonder if the river ever despairs of its downward destiny, and harbors a secret desire to flow uphill. I wonder if winter yearns to be summer, or if a flower wishes it could bloom out of season. I wonder if silence would like to shout, or if the sky wants to fall down and become the earth. I...
Reading
| By
Burton D. Carley
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Enter with me that still place within, the center, where we find not only our inmost selves, but also our connection to the farthest reaches of the universe. Here we confront our aspirations and our failings. Though we seek always for our lives to be full of goodness, we sometimes lack courage to...
Reading
| By
Linda J Hoddy
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
The Wedding blessing is to be used with a wedding ritual of pouring water from two vessels into a common vessel, as an alternative to a unity candle....
Ritual
| By
Tess Baumberger
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
We wish for you a storm or two that you may enjoy the calm. We wish for you tranquility in time of trial. We wish you a cool breeze on a warm day, and pale white clouds that you may better appreciate the blueness of the sky. We wish you darkness that you may see the stars....
Prayer
| By
Robert F Kaufmann
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Minister: Surrounded by the animals we love, we remember with gratitude the pets, protectors, and animal companions who have blessed our lives. People: We give thanks for our childhood pets, who taught us to love and to cry. We give thanks for our children's pets, who help us to teach them...
Responsive Reading
| By
Christine Robinson
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Out of wood and stone, out of dream and sacrifice, the people build a home. Out of the work of their hands and hearts and minds, the people fashion a symbol and a reality. May this house be truly a place of meeting: meeting in warmth and joy and openness; meeting in courage and love and trust....
Blessing
| By
Eileen B Karpeles
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
May we open ourselves ever more fully to that Eternal Mystery which lures us onward toward life and creativity. May we find the courage to live our faith, to speak our truth, and to strive together for a world where freedom abounds and justice truly does roll down like water. May we know the...
Meditation
| By
Carol Meyer
|
January 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Compassion, Connections, Mystery, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Vulnerability
You can also use the search box in the upper right corner of any page.
Give Credit to Authors
Our authors and artists have granted permission for use by Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) member congregations for any worship service, including printing materials, projecting onto screens, or including in audio/video podcasts. Thank you for crediting the author or artist.
WorshipWeb’s Origin Story
Conceived in 1999, WorshipWeb was implemented in late 2000 and 2001 through funding from the Unitarian Universalist Association’s successful 1997 “Handing on the Future” capital fund campaign.
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and its members in the development of WorshipWeb.