Brethren, We Have Met To Worship is one of the oldest published American folk hymns. George Atkins wrote the lyrics and first published them in 1819. The traditional tune, HOLY MANNA, is a pentatonic (5 tone) melody in Ionian mode originally published by William Moore in 1829.

Brethren, we have met to worship
And adore the Lord our God;
Will you pray with all your power,
While we try to preach the Word?
All is vain unless the Spirit
Of the Holy One comes down;
Brethren, pray, and holy manna
Will be showered all around.

Do you know of churches where people gather to pray for the worship service before the service begins?  Me, too.  Now think about how many churches you know where active and deliberate prayer for the service takes place during the service.  My guess is your second list, like mine, is much shorter.

We need to pray for our preachers, for responsive listeners and souls forever changed.  We need to pray for our churches, our leaders, our friends and neighbors and visitors in the pews next to us.  We need to pray, not for programs, but for God’s will to be done in our lives.  We need to pray “with all our power”.

 It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to people. -C. S. Lewis