Philosophy of UU Worship

Joy and gratitude lie at the heart of our worship services. Indeed, Unitarian Universalists use the phrase "Celebration of Life" as often as "Worship" to refer to our Sunday services.

Our understanding of worship is non-traditional. We take seriously the originally meaning of the word, which literally means "worth-shaping." Thus, for us, Sunday mornings are about "shaping" (celebrating, wrestling with, integrating, arguing with) "things of worth."

Some newcomers are surprised that the word "God" is so rarely used during our Sunday services. This is because we understand collective worship to be broader than honoring or connecting to a traditional personal deity. Some of our members find such connection important and use our time of prayer and meditation to meet this need, but for most of our members the sacred enters our services as each of us is put in touch with our deeper and best selves.

May 1 2008