He Has Come: A Free Christmas Drama to Help Your Church Share the Hope of Christmas

As we dig into Christmas planning, many of us are asking the same questions: How can we help people look beyond the busyness of the season? How can we welcome our communities into the story of Jesus in a way that is biblical, meaningful, and accessible?

Christmas is a beautiful opportunity for the church. It is a season when people are often more open to attending a worship service, inviting a friend, or considering spiritual questions. But we do not simply want to create a memorable event. We want to point people to the living hope of Jesus Christ.

That is why Next Level Worship is pleased to offer the newly revised He Has Come: A Christmas Drama as a free resource for churches and ministries.

This drama was written to help your congregation and community consider one unforgettable question:

What if the first Christmas had never happened?

A Christmas Story Told in Two Worlds

He Has Come invites the audience into two versions of the same city, the same people, and the same human need.

In Act I, Christ has never come. People still love, laugh, struggle, sacrifice, and show kindness. There are still moments of generosity and compassion. Yet something essential is missing. Human goodness, however sincere, cannot heal the deepest brokenness of the human heart.

In Act II, the audience returns to the same city and the same people. Many of the circumstances look familiar. But history has changed. The reality that Christ has come has transformed the meaning of hope, grace, suffering, forgiveness, and belonging.

At the center of the story are Sarah and her young son, Tommy. As they move through the city searching for help, the audience encounters characters who reveal the difference between ordinary human kindness and the deeper hope of the Gospel.

That contrast leads to the central truth of Christmas: We are not saved because humanity finally found its way to God. We are saved because God came to us.

The Dinner Theatre Edition is designed to surround guests with the story without putting them on the spot.

“It’s About God Coming to Us”

One of the most memorable moments in the drama expresses the heart of the Gospel with simple clarity:

SARAH: Jesus…

BEN: Yes.

SARAH: Tell me about Him.

BEN: I’d be glad to.

BEN: Christmas isn’t really about people trying to find their way to God.

Pause.

BEN: It’s about God coming to us.

SARAH: Coming to us?

BEN: Yes.

This is the wonder we proclaim every Christmas.

John writes, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Matthew declares that Jesus is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Paul reminds us that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Galatians 4:4–5).

The Christian message is not primarily a self-improvement project. It is not a call for us to climb high enough, become good enough, or search hard enough to reach God. In Jesus, God has come near to us in mercy.

That truth belongs at the center of every Christmas service, every outreach gathering, every praise team rehearsal, and every ministry of worship.

Newly Revised for a New Generation

Originally published in 2007 under the title If Christ Had Not Come, this drama has been presented in churches, prisons, and other ministry settings over the years. It has helped audiences pause and consider what difference the coming of Christ truly makes.

The original idea came to Dwayne Moore while he was still in college. He imagined a two-act drama showing the same people in two different worlds: one without Christ and one transformed by His coming. When he shared the concept with a university drama director, he was told that the two-act structure would not work.

But the idea remained with him. He wrote it anyway.

Now, after years of ministry use, the drama has been thoughtfully reworked for a new generation. The revised edition includes:

• More authentic and relatable characters
• Greater cultural sensitivity
• Updated dialogue
• Refined staging
• A clearer and more gracious presentation of the Gospel
• A stronger contrast between ordinary kindness and Gospel hope

The result is a Christmas drama that is biblically grounded, emotionally compelling, and accessible to a wide range of audiences.

Sarah and Tommy’s journey brings the audience into the human need at the heart of the story.

Two Editions to Serve Your Church

The free download includes both the Standard Stage Edition and the Dinner Theatre Edition, along with a START HERE guide to help your team prepare.

Standard Stage Edition

The Standard Stage Edition runs approximately 60 minutes and is designed for a traditional stage setting.

This format may work well for:

• A Christmas worship service
• A church-wide seasonal production
• A community outreach event
• A school or ministry presentation
• A Christmas Eve or weekend gathering

It tells the complete story through two contrasting acts while allowing your production team to use a familiar stage, sanctuary, or multipurpose room.

Your praise team could provide music before or after the drama. A pastor or church leader could offer a brief Gospel reflection. A small group or Bible study could discuss the themes afterward. Used thoughtfully, the drama can become more than a performance: it can become an entry point for worship discipleship and spiritual conversation.

Dinner Theatre Edition

The Dinner Theatre Edition is more immersive. It runs approximately 90 minutes to two hours, depending on the meal and production schedule.

Guests dine as the story unfolds around them. Characters move naturally through the room, and multiple scenes can take place in different areas of the space. Sarah and Tommy search for help. Ben moves through the city with his fruit cart. Other encounters happen among the guests.

This edition is immersive, but it is not interactive. Guests are surrounded by the story without being placed on the spot.

Strategic meal and service cues help create a natural rhythm. A reflective transition between the acts allows the audience to process the contrast between the two worlds. Dessert can be served after the final moments, allowing the conclusion to remain focused on the message of the Gospel.

The Dinner Theatre Edition combines hospitality, theatre, and Gospel-centered storytelling.

A Resource for Whole-Life Worship

Christmas planning can easily become focused on schedules, rehearsals, costumes, decorations, and logistics. Those things matter. But they are not the destination.

Our destination is worship.

Whole-life worship helps us see every part of life as a response to God’s worth. A drama can be worship when it faithfully tells the truth about Christ. A meal can become worship when it welcomes neighbors and creates space for meaningful conversation. A rehearsal can become worship when actors, musicians, directors, and volunteers surrender their gifts to God.

As you prepare He Has Come, consider inviting your team to reflect on these questions:

1. What does the coming of Christ change in our own lives?

2. Are we communicating the Gospel as good news rather than merely presenting Christian information?

3. How can our hospitality help guests feel seen, welcomed, and safe?

4. How might this drama support our church’s broader Christmas worship and discipleship plan?

5. Are we preparing not only the production, but also our own hearts?

These questions can be used in a rehearsal meeting, leadership gathering, worship team devotional, or church Bible study. They can help your team remember that ministry is not only about what happens onstage. It is about the spiritual posture we carry into every act of service.

Free for Churches and Ministries

Next Level Worship is making both editions available free of charge so churches and ministries can use this story to share the hope of Christ.

The download package includes:

• Standard Stage Edition
• Dinner Theatre Edition
• START HERE guide
• Free noncommercial ministry performance permission

You can access the free download of He Has Come here. The page also includes concept images to help directors and church leaders imagine possible staging and dinner theatre environments.

Whether your church is large or small, whether your team includes experienced actors or willing volunteers, God can use faithful preparation and simple obedience. The power of the message does not depend on elaborate scenery or a professional production. It rests in the truth of Jesus Christ.

“He has come.”

That is the announcement that changed history. It is the hope our neighbors need. It is the truth our congregations must remember. And it is the message we have the privilege of proclaiming through worship, Scripture, hospitality, testimony, and service.

As you plan this Christmas season, ask the Lord how your church can create space for people to encounter that truth. Then trust Him with the results.

Christ has come to us. He is still coming near to the broken, the searching, the weary, and the forgotten. May our worship and ministry help people see Him clearly.

Download He Has Come free from Next Level Worship and begin preparing your church to share the hope of Christmas.

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Image note: The supporting visuals are concept images provided on the official drama page for staging inspiration; they are not photographs from a live production.

AI attribution: This article was drafted with assistance from artificial intelligence and reviewed for ministry use by Next Level Worship.