Helmut Thielicke (1908-1986) was one of the great preachers and theologians of the German Lutheran Church. He first came to prominence in Stuttgart where, during the worst of the bombing raids and despite Nazi opposition, he continued to preach to a congregation of several thousand each week. After the war Thielicke's reputation grew as his writings became more widely known through his lecture tours of Europe and the United States. In 1956 he spent a year in America teaching at Drew University and at Chicago and Princeton Theological Seminaries. He was appointed Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Hamburg in 1954 and six years later was elected Rector, becoming the first Protestant theologian to hold the post. He was also awarded honorary degrees in philosophy and divinity at the Universities of Heidelberg and Glasgow. He published much in both German and in translation, and the enduring popularity of his books testifies to the respect with which he is regarded by theologians and laymen alike.

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.

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.

Translator's Introduction To the Reader I The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Part One II The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Part Two III The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus IV The Parable of the Seeds and the Soils V The Parable of the Mustard Seed VI The Parable of the Tares among the Wheat VII The Parable of the Seed Growing Secretly VIII The Parable of the Dishonest Steward IX The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers X The Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard XI The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican XII The Parable of the Pounds XIII The Parable of the Cost of Building a Tower XIV The Parable of the Good Samaritan XV The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens XVI The Parable of the Marriage Feast.

Volumes of sermons are legion, but there is a book that is in a class by itself. Great scholars are often poor preachers, and great preachers are sometimes indifferent scholars, but the author of this remarkable book is both an outstanding scholar - a former rector of Hamburg University - and a preacher of world renown.