• Search
  • About
  • 7 Principles of UU
  • 6 Sources of UU
  • WorshipWeb
  • #BlackLivesMatter
  • Braver/Wiser
  • Settings
  • Feedback Form
  • Chalice Lighter
WorshipWeb
Search
  • Home
  • Gallery
  • Favorites
  • Donate
  • More
Affirmations Benedictions Blessings Chalice Lightings Closings Invocations Litanies Meditations Openings Poetry Prayers Readings Responsive Readings Rituals Stories
Blessings Shall Follow Us

Blessings Shall Follow Us

Blessings shall follow us all the days of our lives if we live in and return to right relationships, if we extend grace and forgiveness to ourselves and others, if we behold mercy as a spiritual superpower.

R Rebekah Savage
Our Calling in the World

Our Calling in the World

Each day, every day, we are blessed to be the embodiment of what is possible, when Justice and Equity ground us in all that we do.

R Rebekah Savage
Democracy's Benediction

Democracy's Benediction

democracy, today we will love you alive

L Lucas Hergert
Benediction for a Chaplain’s Ministry of Presence

Benediction for a Chaplain’s Ministry of Presence

You are now holding in your heart a precious commodity. Someone trusted you with what was irking them, what brought them joy, what enraged them, what frightened them, what moved them, or simply, what is.

R Rumni Saha
Love Holds You

Love Holds You

Love holds all of you.

C Carrie Holley-Hurt
A Power at Work in the Universe

A Power at Work in the Universe

My friends, There is a power at work in the universe. It works through human hands, but it was not made by human hands. It is a creative, sustaining, and transforming power and we can trust that power with our lives [and with our ministries]....

T Tom Schade
Fitted for This Day

Fitted for This Day

We are the ones we have been waiting for.* We are not perfect, but we are perfectly fitted for this day. We are not without fault, but we can be honest to face our past as we chart a new future. We are the ones we have been waiting for....

K Kimberly Quinn Johnson 
Go In Peace, Seeking Justice

Go In Peace, Seeking Justice

When I say go in peace, I don’t mean “go in mindless oblivion.” When I say go in peace, I don’t mean “go without challenging yourself or others.” When I say go in peace, I don’t mean “go in utter ease and comfort.” When I say go in peace, I mean “go in peace, seeking justice.”...

J Jim Magaw
The World is Too Beautiful

The World is Too Beautiful

The world is too beautiful to be praised by only one voice. May you have the courage to sing your part. The world is too broken to be healed by only one set of hands. May you have the courage to use your gifts. May you go in peace.

E Eric Williams
Love Is Our Spirit

Love Is Our Spirit

Love is the Spirit of this church [or: congregation]. May the songs we sing celebrate this Love. May the lives we lead embody this Spirit. May you all go forth in peace.

E Eric Williams
A World Attained

A World Attained

[And now], since the struggle deepens, since evil abides, and good does not yet prosper, Let us gather what strength we have, what confidence and valor that our small victories may end in triumph, and the world awaited be a world attained.

B Barrow Dunham
Shine!

Shine!

Like the cosmic dust following after a great Perseid meteor, we are the living remnants of time and all that has come to pass in its wake—briefly shining lights on the way to eternity. We are only visible to the naked eye for an instant. Take this moment to shine like the start dust you are. May...

M Mary Edes
With what benediction shall I leave you?

With what benediction shall I leave you?

With what benediction shall I leave you? This: In your life, may you know the holy meaning, the mystery that breaks into it every moment. May you live at peace with your world and at peace with yourself. And may the love of truth guide you in your every day. Amen.

M Mark Mosher DeWolfe
We shall overcome

We shall overcome

We shall overcome. When we can truly celebrate the diversity of contributions and talents offered by all people, we shall overcome hatred and prejudice and oppression. When we can truly extend our hands to one another in loving acceptance, we shall overcome the past that haunts us now. Living in...

J Jonalu Johnstone
May We Hear the Melody of Life

May We Hear the Melody of Life

May we hear the melody of Life and find ourselves singing harmony. May we be open to the dissonances in the Song of the Land and Its People, that we might be part of the World’s urging toward Justice, Peace, and Love. May we feel in our bones the rhythms of Life and the Land, and find ourselves...

J Joseph Cleveland
Blessed is the Path

Blessed is the Path

Blessed is the path on which you travel. Blessed is the body that carries you upon it. Blessed is your heart that has heard the call. Blessed is your mind that discerns the way. Blessed is the gift that you will receive by going. Truly blessed is the gift that you will become on the journey....

E Eric Williams
New Church Building Dedication

New Church Building Dedication

May we honor and hold gently our past. May we live fully our present. May we hope toward and build our future, Living our mission [insert congregation's mission statement]: "To be a spiritual community To welcome all To nurture one another To work for justice And to care for the earth." May these...

K Karen Lewis Foley
Interfaith Benediction

Interfaith Benediction

Gathered in our varied faiths, We give thanks for the blessings of world community As we share our common dream: Homes and schools where children thrive, Neighborhoods that are safe and clean, A city rich in colors and cultures, An economy where no one is expendable, A beloved community where ric...

G Gary Kowalski
We All Emerge

We All Emerge

We all emerge from Dwell within Are transformed by And called back to Love. May your mind be humbled before this Mystery. May your heart grow hopeful by it. May you be sustained by this Love always.

E Eric Williams
As we listen to the blessing of music

As we listen to the blessing of music

As we listen to the blessing of music, May we know this ending As more than a time of goodbye. May the warmth of this community and the memory of our chalice flame sustain our hearts and encourage our minds, as we engage the blessings of life's challenges and joys. The service has ended. Your...

M Maureen Killoran
Christmas Eve Benediction

Christmas Eve Benediction

Tonight in this community, we have shared stories, sung carols, opened our hearts to the beauty of music. Tonight we have turned to one another, lighting each other’s candles in the dark. Tonight we have dared to hear a message of hope spoken once again against the challenge of the world. It is...

M Maureen Killoran
Benediction for an Eagle Scout Ceremony

Benediction for an Eagle Scout Ceremony

Dear God, Spirit of Life and Love, An Eagle Scout Court of Honor marks the end of one journey, a journey of participating in Scouting. Now a new journey begins with a commitment to better Scouting where all may participate. Bless all of N's future endeavors....

A Aaron Stockwell Wisman
Each of us ministers to a weary world

Each of us ministers to a weary world

There is too much hardship in this world to not find joy, every day There is too much injustice in this world to not right the balance, every day There is too much pain in this world to not heal, every day Each of us ministers to a weary world....

D Darcy Roake
Into the World Singing

Into the World Singing

Let us go out into the world singing. Let us go out into the world singing songs that proclaim liberty. Songs that turn ashes into garlands Songs that bind up the afflicted and those who mourn. Songs that, like oaks, have roots that go deep and stand strong. Let us go out into the world singing....

D Dawn Skjei Cooley
Share Your Glorious Light with the World

Share Your Glorious Light with the World

Within each of our hearts there is a most glorious light....

J James Morison
Universal Rhythm

Universal Rhythm

My friends, when you go from here know that our hearts are always in a holy place, for we are always connected to one another. Know that deep down, our hearts beat in one universal rhythm. May we each find the sacred space to hear it.

I Israel Buffardi
Go Forth in Simplicity

Go Forth in Simplicity

Go forth in simplicity. Find and walk the path that leads to compassion and wisdom, that leads to happiness, peace and ease. Welcome the stranger and open your heart to a world in need of healing. Be courageous before the forces of hate. Hold and embody a vision of the common good that serves the...

S Sam Trumbore
To Make Ready for the Coming Day

To Make Ready for the Coming Day

If I were to wish you peace, it would not be for long. It would be peace to rest, to reflect, to make ready for the coming day, that the full force of your creativity and love might be released and shared. I do wish you peace.

B Bill Hamilton-Holway
The Holy Dwells in Each of Us

The Holy Dwells in Each of Us

This was written for Christmas Eve, or other occasions when people are each holding a candle. The spirit of the holy dwells in each of us. The spirit of love dwells in each of us. May the flames in our hands remind us that Eternal Love dwells in our hearts....

R Renee Ruchotzke
Hear the Angels Sing

Hear the Angels Sing

Night has fallen. Stars beckon in an indigo and velvet sky Somewhere a baby is being born. Tonight, the world lazes in a love of goodness while glories stream from heaven afar God is meeting us, tonight, where we are. So be not afraid, and be of good cheer, We wish you, each and all, very Merry...

T Tom Schade
Closing Words for Hard Times

Closing Words for Hard Times

No matter how weak or how frightened we may feel, we each have gifts that can make a difference in the world. In this coming week, may you do at least one thing to support the broken; to welcome the stranger; to celebrate what is worthy; to do the work of justice and love. Be strong. Be connected.

M Maureen Killoran
To Soulfully Survive the World's Mayhem

To Soulfully Survive the World's Mayhem

May whatever gatherings or activities we engage in this Sunday afternoon help restore us — our connections to one another; our sense of hope, beauty, and fun in this world; our deep knowing that we have to take care of ourselves and each other with love and joy if we are to soulfully survive the...

H Heather Rion Starr
Hands Touching Hands

Hands Touching Hands

I invite you to rise in body or in spirit, and join hands with your neighbors. Hands touch hands. These hands you hold now, once held _________’s hands. Hand by hand we touch those who are here with us, and those who are no longer with us. And hand over hand, we touch all of humanity. Let our...

M Matt Alspaugh
This Is Our Calling

This Is Our Calling

The world aches for us to join together and bring about healing, toil for justice, and produce ever-increasing love. This is our calling. Go forth and act accordingly. Amen.

D D. Scott Cooper
Benediction for September 11

Benediction for September 11

On this hallowed day, We remember. We remember those who are no longer present with us here, but who remain forever present in our hearts and who live on in our memories. We embrace....

G Gregory Jones
The Promise and the Practice: Benediction #1

The Promise and the Practice: Benediction #1

Spirit of Life, Spirit of Love, We have gathered under the banner of a shared faith. We are born of a welcoming grace that extends and receives love; we are touched by the ways we have fallen short of who we strive to be; and we here we reborn — forged by a greater courage. Let us move from this...

R Rebekah Savage
The Promise and the Practice: Benediction #2

The Promise and the Practice: Benediction #2

Hush: Somebody’s calling your name— Can you hear it? Calling you to a past not quite forgotten, Calling us to a future not fully imagined? Hush, hush: Somebody’s calling our name. What shall we do? Note: this benediction is part of an entire Promise & Practice...

K Kimberly Quinn Johnson 
Benediction after Communion

Benediction after Communion

Beloved, as we depart this holy space nourished and renewed, let us live into our dreams and expand our circle of justice to encompass all of creation. Let us love one another and the earth, for as a body is animated through the relationships among its many parts, so God is made manifest among us...

M Mandie McGlynn
Holy and Generous Love

Holy and Generous Love

Go in hope, for the arc of the universe is long and we can bend it toward justice. Go in courage, for together we have the strength to confront injustice in our daily lives and the larger world....

E Elena Westbrook
Teachers Everywhere

Teachers Everywhere

In every person we meet, especially those who cause us discomfort, we find an opportunity for us to grow, to learn, to go further along the path of transformation that is our purpose in life. Every single one is our teacher. May the next week bring you many such moments of meeting that help you...

A Amy Zucker Morgenstern
Be True, Be Well, Be Loving

Be True, Be Well, Be Loving

We leave this gathered community, But we don’t leave our connection, Our concerns, our care for each other. Our service to each other, to the world, and to our faith continues. Until we are together again, friends, Be strong, be well, be true, be loving.

C Cynthia Landrum
Inspired by Our Ancestors

Inspired by Our Ancestors

Let us honor our ancestors by doing the work of living boldly, loving mightily, and creating heaven on earth.

L Leia Durland-Jones
Wedding Benediction

Wedding Benediction

May you rejoice in the unknown. May you hug uncertainty to you tight.

D David Breeden
Benediction for a People in Pandemic

Benediction for a People in Pandemic

Let it be said by generations to come that when the pain of our separation was revealed, we moved closer to the promised land of our beloved community.

A Anya Sammler-Michael
May You Be Changed

May You Be Changed

May the promises you have made to yourself about who you want to be feel closer to the reality of who you are right now.

E Emily Richards
To Serve, to Grow, and to Love

To Serve, to Grow, and to Love

We are all called to serve, to grow, and to love as we continue this journey of transformation.

K Kent McKusick
With Passion and Faith

With Passion and Faith

Go out now with hearts and hands and minds renewed.

P Pat Uribe-Lichty
A Minister's Farewell

A Minister's Farewell

May love guide you on your journey forward

C Caitlin Cotter Coillberg
The Basket Woven

The Basket Woven

May we prevail in our intentions to make a gift of the world to the next generations.

M Ma Theresa "Tet" Gustilo Gallardo
Sharing Our Blessings

Sharing Our Blessings

We end our gathering with gratitude for camaraderie, shared wisdom, goodwill, and support

A Adam Slate