I met Jesus in a Needle Exchange above Greggs.

He was a bald bloke with an open face and bright T-shirt.

Ready to offer me free kit, no questions asked,

beyond my initials and date of birth.

It was the best welcome I’d had for a long while.

In fact, it was the welcome I’d been waiting for

since coming into the world.

 

I explained how I was there to learn,

and without a blink he got right to it.

Under the counter, from a marked plastic drawer,

he produced the thinnest needle I’d ever seen:

‘You need to start with this size; preserves your veins’.

It was the best lesson I’d had for a long while.

In fact, harm reduction really rocks.

 

As we talked, clients came and went.

They knew what they needed to see them through the week.

A man leant over and nabbed a Haribo,

immediately slurping on its sweetness.

Without a word, Jesus passed the packet over.

I was hungry for this kind of Communion.

In fact, it was the meal I’d been missing for a long while.

 

I met Jesus in a Needle Exchange above Greggs.

He showed me how to inject safely and so much more.

He was passionate and real.

To everyone as they left, he said: ‘Watch what you’re doing’.

It was the best blessing I’d heard for a long time.

In fact, it was the blessing I needed to hear for myself,

and it’s the blessing I offer to you: ‘Watch what you’re doing’.