LISBON – St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on the hill off Route 196 is offering a traditional Wassail following the Christmas Eve midnight service, which will begin at 11 p.m.

Wassail is a hot, spiced punch. It originally referred to the caroling that earned the carolers a cup; later it came to mean the drink itself. The word comes from the Anglo-Saxon “waes hael,” meaning “be well.”

“We can be well because Jesus, whose birth we remember this Christmas, redeemed our sins. Join us as we celebrate the gift of salvation, the greatest gift of the season. Be we,” said the Rev. Beau Wagner, rector of St. Matthew’s Church.

Other St. Matthew’s Christmas services will include:

Sunday, Dec. 23, at 10 a.m., lessons and carols service. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus told in nine short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns.

Monday, Dec. 24, at 3 p.m., Christmas family service with children’s pageant.

Tuesday, Dec. 25, at 10 a.m., Christmas Day service followed by a potluck lunch.

The Rev. W. Beau Wagner is pastor of the church.