The excitement of the Christmas season is culminating tonight with an evening of festivities and a tomorrow of gift-giving with loved ones. It's Christmas Eve.

The celebration of the birth of Jesus is at hand.Area pastors have been prepreparing sermons and hoping they'll inspire their congregations and visitors with a fresh perspective of a well-known story.One church in New Jersey is relating the Christmas story to the new "Stars Wars" movie, complete with characters dressed up like the movie's characters.The Rev. Greg Laible at Christ Evangelical Free Church in Lehighton said it won't be in his sermon on Christmas Eve. He referenced the movie in his sermon on Sunday during Advent when Christians wait for the Messiah's birth.With a light saber in hand (to wake up the congregation), Laible said, he used the analogy of "the great anticipation of 10 long years" for the next movie to "something far more significant. (The Israelites) waited for 400 years in silence, because they were waiting for the Messiah to be born."Laible told his congregation, "It's time for him to be born in your heart today."The Rev. Bob Johnson at Salem Bible Fellowship Church in Lehighton said his approach is more old-school - "A Charlie Brown Christmas.""Charles Schultz - he had a good grasp of where the culture was," Johnson said.When the children's special was created in 1965, the editors wanted to take out the scene where Linus recites the Bible passage from the Gospel of Luke about the birth of Christ. Silver tinsel Christmas trees, Rudolph, Frosty and a secularized Santa were all the rage.There was no room for the baby born in Bethlehem. The editors thought religion would make the show flop, Johnson said, but Schultz refused to remove it. He preferred to have it not run at all if the scene was changed.Johnson said his sermon is going to follow Linus, who carried his security blanket everywhere. Only twice in the movie did he let it go.In the movie, the kids are practicing their play and Charlie Brown asks them in frustration, "Can anyone tell me the true meaning of Christmas?" Linus was off stage at this time and his sister Lucy told him to memorize a long passage; from which he replied that it was too long to memorize, Johnson said.When Linus hears Charlie Brown's question, he replies, "Fear not" and drops his blanket as he walks to center stage and recites the entire narrative from Luke. He lets go of the blanket again near the end of the special to wrap around the base of the little Christmas tree, Johnson said."It was an act of selfless giving," he said.When Linus does something for someone else or for God, he has strength he didn't have before. His security is no longer in the blanket, but in the Lord, Johnson explained. Selfless giving is "the essence of Christmas.""That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," Johnson said, quoting Linus.Selfless giving is the theme of the sermon that the Revs. Chris and Allison deforest will present on Christmas Eve at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lehighton."Jesus was born in obscurity," Pastor Chris deforest said. "God seems to like to reveal himself in hidden ways."The couple will tell true stories, each taking a turn, where people have given unconditionally.One story is about a person who approached the church wanting to give two needy families in the church each $1,000, he said. Another story is about how a series of small gifts helped to comfort a little girl.The little girl was participating in a play where she was the only female child. She was nervous around all of the grown-ups, he said.Someone wrapped little dollar store gifts and gave one to her each day up to the performances. The gifts became something the little girl was excited to receive, and it took her mind off being nervous. She relaxed and did well in her role."God works in ways to surprise us. It's when we are most happy," deforest said.