Ethan Crispo hit a local Waffle House looking for a late-night snack. What he got instead, was so much more valuable. Crispo entered the Waffle House on his way home from a birthday party, and immediately noticed a problem. The store was full of “hungry, heavily imbibed customers,” and only one person working, a man named Ben.

Crispo said, “I’ve just sat down at my table and it’s becoming clear I’ll be going home with an empty stomach. From the blue, a man from the bar stands up. Asks Ben for an apron, and begins to work behind the counter. It was a transition so smooth I initially assumed it was a staff member returning to their shift. It wasn’t. It was a kind stranger. A man who answered the call. Bussed tables, did dishes, stacked plates.”

When Ben came over to take Ethan’s order, he gratefully confirmed the man’s mysterious heroism. “‘Who’s that guy? Does he work here?’ ‘No.’ ‘Does he work at any Waffle House?’ ‘Nope.’” Apparently, this man, identified only by a blue shirt he was wearing at the time, so inspired a spirit of cooperation that others joined in to help—including a lady in a dress and high heels.

Pat Warner, a PR director for Waffle House confirmed that there had been a scheduling miscue at this store. He said it wasn’t the first time customers had been seen helping out in adverse circumstances, citing a similar situation during an ice storm in Atlanta. Warner said, “That’s the great thing we have with our customers, the sense of community.” Crispo agreed, “It was just one of the most wild instances of really, really cool people just coming together… humanity isn’t just good, it’s great.”

Possible Preaching Angle: We live out the call of Christ when we sacrificially give expecting nothing in return.