WATERLOO - Today, Jesus is the star of the show for Christians.

But keeping Christ the focus of the celebration can be a tough task, even for the most devout followers, said local pastors.

"This is a really sacred and holy time of the year," said the Rev. Eva Cameron, a Unitarian Universalist pastor in Cedar Falls. "But it's really easy to get wrapped up in the materialism of the season."

To compete with Santa, door-buster sales and sugar overload, area churches turn their attention to the birth of Jesus, an event Christians consider a miracle. They also ask their parishoners to reflect on the reason for the season.

"It's very relevant to think about what Jesus would want for Christmas," said the Rev. Kelvin Cooke, head pastor at Grace Brethren Church in Waterloo. "It definitely makes us stop and think, not so much about the gifts we are receiving, but what's important to him."

The Courier asked Cameron, Cooke and other area pastors to weigh in on the issue. Here is what they think Jesus would want for his birthday this year:

"Jesus would want us to use his gift of forgiveness to be reconciled with our families, communities and world. Instead of giving something to Jesus, I think we need to take what God gives us through Jesus."

- The Rev. Curt Schneider, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Waverly

"Jesus was so willing to hang out with people who were different than him, so I think he'd wish that we'd all open our hearts during this time of the year. … I think he'd want us to sit down and really interact with the kinds of people we tend to dismiss or treat as objects, and open our hearts and our minds to them."

- The Rev. Eva Cameron, Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk County, Cedar Falls

"He would want everybody to recognize him, that he came to save this world. … The best present we can give Jesus is (to) give him our hearts."

- The Rev. Fernando Gonzalez, Hispanic Baptist Church, Waterloo

"I think he would want the cessation of violence, the safety of children and harmony in families. And especially in the Middle East, the land where Jesus walked the Earth, I think he would wish that that could be a place where there is peace."

- The Rev. Denny Juhl, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Waterloo

"(He'd want) his people so in love with him that they choose the unity of the spirit and do the works he did and that he's empowered us to do."

- The Rev. Bruce Miller, Heartland Vineyard Church, Cedar Falls

"What I think what he'd want would be what he wanted that first Christmas. I believe he would want as many people as could to come and know him personally, and that he would become a reality in their lives."

- The Rev. Kelvin Cooke, Grace Brethren Church, Waterloo

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com