The Waiting Father

Sermons on the Parables of Jesus

by Helmut Thielicke, translated by John W. Doberstein

Book cover: The Waiting Father

Extent: 192 pages

Publisher: The Lutterworth Press

Subjects: Biblical Studies

Series: Thielicke Library

Language: English

Paperback (No longer our product)

(March 2015)

ISBN: 9780718893668

5.47 x 8.62 inches

Price: $37.00

Out of stock

PDF (Published)

(March 2015)

ISBN: 9780718843083

Price: $27.99

A collection of sermons by the German theologian and preacher, illuminating the meaning of the parables and giving them a new relevance for today.


The Waiting Father is a collection of sermons by Helmut Thielicke, the great German preacher and theologian, which offer deep insights into the spiritual message of Jesus’s fifteen major parables. They were originally preached in Michaelskirche, Hamburg, in the mid-1950s. Thielicke approaches the parables in novel ways. In treating the prodigal son, for instance, he concentrates more on the loving father than the rebellious son, emphasising the centrality of forgiveness. Similarly, when discussing the pharisee and the publican he shows that the publican is guilty of spiritual pride and arrogance, drawing attention to the dangers for the faithful. Both among expositions of the parables and among books for preachers, The Waiting Father stands in a class of its own. Great scholars are usually poor preachers, and great scholars are rarely good preachers, but Thielicke manages to combine distinguished scholarship with fine preaching.

  • By (author) Helmut Thielicke
  • Translated by John W Doberstein

"Each sermon is not only relevant and applicable to everyday life, but is equally theologically astute, a balance many cannot find but which Thielicke has mastered. ... An expert homiletical craftsman and accomplished theologian, Thielicke presents a collection of sermons which will be treasured by all who read them."-Catherine Cook Tobey, Theological Book Review, Vol. 26 No. 2, 2015
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