The first line of the hymn is "There is a time for ev'rything" (from Ecclesiates 3:1). The three syllables of "ev'rything" are each sung to a different pitch (G A F#), and this gives a sense of the breadth of "ev'rything."
The same feature (just with different pitches: E C# D) is present at the end of the hymn, where the same line is sung to this phrase:
