There is a green hill far away

Steve has the same book I have--The One Year Book of Hymns. After reading about this hymn, I looked it up on the Internet, so I could find the tune and sing it. Thanks to Hymnal.net, I can sing these old, traditional tunes that so few Christians are able to appreciate these days, because many churches now sing mostly "praise songs."

From her childhood, Cecil Frances Alexander wrote poetry, and as an adult she wrote primarily for children. She felt that the truths of Christianity could best be taught through hymns, so she tackled major doctrines with simple words. One project was a series of hymns based on the Apostles' Creed. She wrote "All Things Bright and Beautiful" to teach about God the Father as "Maker of heaven and earth." She wrote this hymn to teach about Jesus as He "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried."

Along with her husband, Reverend William Alexander, Cecil cared for the poor families in their parish in Ireland. "From one poor home to another she went," her husband wrote. "Christ was ever with her, and in her, and all felt her influence." She reportedly wrote this song while sitting at a child's sickbed. - Great Songs of Faith by Brown and Norton

The original chorus says:

Oh, dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.