This Sermon Lasted 4 Whole Days

A Mississippi pastor has delivered a marathon sermon that could top a world record, though he says that was never the point. Matt Olson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Sharon, says he preached from the Bible—Genesis to Revelation—for 96 hours from May 30 to June 3, following Guinness World Record rules that allowed a 5-minute break per hour and the opportunity to combine multiple breaks to allow for short naps, per WDAM. The feat would eclipse the existing 90-hour mark for longest individual speech, currently held by a man in Nepal. Olson told Fox News that scripture sustained him when he should have been physically unable to go on.

Olson said the idea came after a 10-day missionary training simulation in which he spent 96 hours in the woods without a Bible and realized how much of it he didn't know. Church leaders initially thought he was "crazy" but backed the attempt, assembling a medical team, tech crew, and round-the-clock prayer support as the sermon livestreamed online. Despite sticking to Guinness guidelines, the church chose not to submit the feat, citing the cost—about $16,500 for an official adjudicator—and concern about turning the Bible into a publicity tool. "This has never been about a world record," Olson told Fox, adding that Jesus Christ "is worthy of every sentence I preached, every sacrifice that was made."