Like many other terms used by the Church, the term "hope" has come to mean something very different over time. In our culture, "hope" has come to mean something more along the lines of "wishful thinking" or a "positive possibility" rather than the deep-seated trust which Christian hope actually embodies. Jesus gives us hope for our salvation, not in the sense that we might be saved, but that we already have been.
John the Baptist announced this message of hope, just as Isaiah had foretold. This was not a suggestion that the Messiah might be about to arrive. Rather, it was a proclamation that the Christ had come and that He was going to change our world--a promise that has been fulfilled, is being fulfilled, and will be fulfilled.
I certainly hope so.